Lily Without Hogwarts
by FrankieBGoode
Summary: Okay, it’s an alternate universe and Lily Evans never received her Hogwarts letter, but she should have. Voldemort intervenes and prevents Lily’s attendance. But, what if she still met James Potter? How would it happen and what would be the results?
1. Death

Author's Note: Hi, this story was written by Frankie. Everything that you don't recognize is mine, that which you do, belongs to J.K. Rowling or someone else who could probably sue me if I didn't write this little disclaimer! So, don't sue me, I am a lowly fan fic author. all flames will be used to light my cigarettes thank you! Please Review!! ~Frankie~  
  
Summary: Okay, it's an alternate universe and Lily Evan's never received her Hogwarts letter, but she should have. Voldemort intervenes and prevents Lily's attendance. But, what if she still met James Potter? How would it happen and what would be the results?  
  
Prologue: ~1971~ Seven Years Ago.  
  
Standing kitty corner from number 8 Magnolia Crescent is one of the most feared wizards of the age, Lord Voldemort. He waits for the owl from Hogwarts to come and give a letter to Lily Evans, an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Too bad Lily Evans will never receive this letter, and her life will become an absolute hell. Voldemort redirects the owl to where he stands and takes the letter, incinerating it with a spell and sends the befuddled owl back to Hogwarts saying that Lily Evan's does not wish to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
Now, I am pretty sure you are wondering why Lord Voldemort has taken special interest in Miss Lily Evans. The answer is fairly clear, though only he and a few of his fanatical Death Eaters will know the truth. Voldemort was told by a clairvoyant he was torturing that a girl named Lily Evans would bring about his demise should she attend Hogwarts, but keeps the specifics from him. So, upon Voldemort's return and her subsequent murder, he doesn't hear the whole of it; that Lily Evans must be kept away from James Potter. Voldemort goes on believing that he averted the danger to himself and continues killing and torturing muggles and wizards alike.  
  
Chapter One: ~1976~ Death  
  
Fifteen year old Lily Evans sat outside her house where she lived with her parents. She was waiting for them to return home, they had been gone six hours and it was going on midnight. Lily had never known her parents to stay out when she wasn't at a friend's house. Lily watched the street eagerly praying that her parents were okay. So, when she saw the headlights coming up the street she stood up and instead of her parents she saw a police cruiser and it was pulling into her driveway.  
  
"Where are my parents?" Lily called out as the two police officers got out of the vehicle.  
  
"Are you Lily Evans?" asked the female plain clothes officer.  
  
"Yes, where are my parents?" Lily asked again, her voice cracking with emotion, knowing something terrible had happened.  
  
"I am very sorry to have to tell you this Miss Evans, but your parents got into a car accident this evening and died a few hours ago. We are very sorry for your loss," the woman said and watched helplessly as Lily collapsed on the grass sobbing hysterically.  
  
"What happened?" Lily managed to ask the officers as she tried to wipe away the tears that just wouldn't stop falling.  
  
"A truck lost control and slammed into your parent's car. They were rushed to the hospital and the doctor's tried their best to save them, but your parents passed away. Is there anyone that you can stay with?" the male officer asked bluntly causing Lily to become hysterical again which made his partner look at him with an angry glare.  
  
"My sister Petunia lives at number 4 Privet Drive," Lily muttered quietly continuing to wipe tears away.  
  
"Okay dear, then we better get you there," the woman said kindly and Lily nodded and walked into the house and looked the doors before returning outside. The female officer (one Eve Dallas) found the girl to be entirely too calm as she left the house. Lily was still crying but they were silent tears and her face was completely placid. Dallas recognized shock and hoped that the girl's sister would be able to help. (A/N: HA, that's a laugh. Petunia help someone. sorry for the interruption ~F)  
  
They pulled into number 4 Privet Drive 30 minutes later and knocked on the door. Five minutes later Vernon Dursley opened the door with an angry growl. "What is it?" he asked and spotted his wife's sister crying silently next to the officers.  
  
"I am terribly sorry to disturb you Mrs. Dursley but your In-laws were killed this evening and your sister in-law needs a guardian," Dallas stated compassionately.  
  
"Let me get my wife," Vernon said allowing them inside just before a lamp crashed onto the floor across the room where Lily had been staring intently. "Must have been unstable," Vernon muttered before walking upstairs to meet his annoyed looking wife.  
  
Petunia followed Vernon down and spotted Lily standing near the door and the police officers and she asked, "What kind of trouble did she cause now?" like she'd always expected Lily to be some kind of bad seed.  
  
"Your sister didn't do anything Mrs. Dursley. Your parents were in an accident this evening and died later at the hospital," Dallas said in a rather annoyed voice for Petunia's assumption made her think that Lily wouldn't be receiving any affection in this household.  
  
"What?" Petunia asked and the officer repeated what she said. "Why is she here?" Petunia asked stupidly.  
  
"As her sister you would be her guardian until she turns 18," the male officer, (Jon Page), stated.  
  
"Why?" Petunia spat eyeing her sister unpleasantly like something to be trodden on.  
  
"You are her only living relative, are you not?" Page asked starting to get annoyed with the Dursley's himself.  
  
"Yes I am," Petunia said as if it were a subject of great disgust for her.  
  
"Then you are now responsible for her," Page said and Lily looked down at the floor.  
  
"Fine, Lily, go upstairs. The small bedroom on the right it free," Petunia said and Lily nodded about to start her way upstairs when Dallas stopped her gently.  
  
"If you have any questions or anything you would like to speak about you can call me at this number Lily," Dallas said handing her a card which she put into the pocket of her jeans. "Thank you," was all Lily said before she walked up the stairs and out of sight. They all watched her go before Page said, "Sorry to have disturbed your slumber, Goodnight Mr. and Mrs. Dursley," and the officers left quietly, spotting Lily watching them solemnly from the upstairs window.  
  
Author's Note: I hope you like it so far, there will be more soon. Review Please!! ~Frankie~ 


	2. Hell

Author's Note: Hello again. I decided to type this up tonight before I went to bed, so I hope you enjoy it. Please review!! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Two: Hell  
  
The Dursley's managed to go through the night without dictating the rules to Lily which were to be strictly adhered to. Lily hadn't slept and listened distractedly to Petunia's reciting her rules. "No questions, no messes. You will clean, you will cook and you will do chores when we tell you. You will stay in your room except to cook and eat. If you leave you will return in time for meals etcetera. If you don't follow the rules I will kick you out," Petunia said before leaving and slamming the door.  
  
Lily lay back on the bed staring at the ceiling while silent tears leaked from her beautiful green eyes. Later that same day they went to the Evan's house and Lily packed her things. Pictures, poems, clothes, and a red teddy bear that Mrs. Evans had gotten her two weeks before; it all went into bags and into the trunk of the Dursley's car. Lily held a framed photo of her parents and herself in her lap in the journey back to number 4 Privet Drive and said nothing to either Vernon or Petunia as she unloaded the trunk and brought her things to "her" room. She unpacked her bare necessities and set the picture on the bedside table before Petunia was screaming for her to start dinner.  
  
Lily barely spoke and this pleased the Dursley's a lot. They almost believed she couldn't talk and that her vocal cords had completely disappeared. Lily spent her time in her room writing in her journal.  
  
Diary, I never know what to expect anymore. I despise my sister and her husband with all the strength in my body. I wish that Mum and Dad hadn't died. I don't understand why they had to die. I still cry sometimes but I'm slowly becoming numb to everything the longer I stay in this house. It's only been 6 months so far and I wish I would die too. Petunia has started snooping in my room, reading this book and yelling at me for being inconsiderate and all that shit. I yelled right back saying that this was private and she said that as long as it was under her roof she had rights to read it. Well fuck that. I hate her. I disliked her when she would torture me and call me ugly at home, but she's even worse now, she thinks she can control me. I won't bloody let her read this again. I found a loose floorboard under the bed and that's where I keep all my journals and poetry now, I doubt she has the sense to look for a lose floorboard so this is safe. I honestly hope that she dies a horribly painful death. I can't wait until I'm 18 and I will probably skip out of this hell hole when I graduate because I won't wind up jobless on the streets because I don't have a diploma. I hear her screaming now I have to go. Bye.  
  
~L  
  
The entries usually read like that and the next 2 years or so were complete and utter hell for Lily. Her only escapes were her diary which only helped her to vent, her drawings and writings and her dreams. She dreamed of extraordinary places full of witches and wizards and a magnificent castle what felt so much like home that she cried sometimes when she woke up. In this place she had friends and even a wonderful boyfriend who cared about her. She wrote stories about her dreams and secretly got them published to get some money other then the inheritance that she would get when she turned 18 that Petunia couldn't touch.  
  
Diary, I don't mind the chores so much; it's just her damn screeching that I can't bloody stand! I would do the chores without complaining if that bitch didn't yell at me constantly, do this, do that, stop talking, and stop complaining you ingrate, why can't you be more thankful? Yada, yada. I'm sick of complaining, I'm going to write. Bye. ~L  
  
The reasons that Lily didn't really mind the chores were because they helped her to stay strong and healthy, but she minded more then anything the constant bothering that Petunia put her through calling her a freak and blaming the Evan's accident on Lily. Petunia told her she was ugly and fat and rude, none of which Lily was and though she knew this, she slowly began to believe Petunia's hateful words.  
  
Diary, I really wish I could just leave but I'm barely 17 and there's no way in hell I could get a job that would keep me off the streets without graduating. She keeps calling me ugly and fat and rude! I'm not rude; I just can't stand this place, being cooped up in this hell hole. I have no friends, and I like that because no one asks to come over and stay the night. but then again maybe it's not me wanting everyone to stay away that they do. maybe she's right. Oh what am I saying? How could that hag be right about me? Ha, she doesn't know me, never did. I hope she gets cursed with cramps from hell for a whole month! That would serve her right. Vile bitch is coming upstairs screaming again. Bye.  
  
~L  
  
That day Petunia wasn't screaming at her, she'd fallen down the stairs after a sudden sharp pain had gone through her abdomen. Lily forgot what she'd written and the pains were taken out of Lily saying that she'd poisoned them with her food. Lily was pissed.  
  
Diary, Petunia has been blaming me for whatever stupid bug she caught that's causing her cramps. I honestly hope she dies. argh. Never mind, it's not worth it to wish that. She's just mean and evil and I wish I wasn't related to her. I hope that she and Vernon never produce offspring or it will probably be just as bad as they are. I don't get it why do I get blamed for everything around here? The other day a lamp that I was looking at that was across the room broke and I was blamed. Mind you I was angry but I don't think I was throwing things so I couldn't have done it. I am sick of this. I'm going away soon, I swear it and then I won't be their slave any longer.  
  
~L  
  
Finally Lily graduated at the top of her class and the summer came on strong. She decided then and there to leave, she was free enough to get the hell out and that's what she planned to do. She packed her pictures, her clothes and all her writings and journals and the red teddy bear and left the Dursley's a note which said:  
  
I can't be your slave anymore. I'm leaving and I will not come back. Goodbye sister. I'm sorry for being such an 'inconvenience'. ~Lily And so Lily left late one night while the Dursley's were sleeping and never looked back.  
  
Thanks To:  
  
The Lady Sorcha of Sevenwaters- She will be soon, don't worry! At least she gets out this chapter eh?  
  
EmeraldDream- Yes, of course she still has powers. I gave a hint in Chapter 1 and in this Chapter as well.  
  
LilyPrincess- I hope that you like this chapter and the next one too!  
  
Thanks so much for reviewing!! ~Frankie~  
  
Oh, and I'm a little worried about people complaining about the language in her diary entries. If you think that a PG rating is low tell me and it will be bumped up but it's my personal experience that PG should be fine. tell me if you think other wise!! 


	3. Kindness in London

Author's Note: Ah, it is so great to get complementary reviews. So I here I give thanks. Hanna-chan & Aimee thanks so much for reading; I'm glad you liked it. LilyPrincess- You'll just have to wait and see now won't you, thanks for the review. The Lady Sorcha of Sevenwaters- Thank you I am glad you like it and I hope you like this chapter too! And, SleepieCareBear- I am glad you like it, thanks for the review!  
  
Ah, and the disclaimer. I sadly do not own Lily or James or Sirius or Remus *though I'd like to. hah* Oops. anyways. Don't sue me, I have no money. All flames will be used to light my smokes so thp! Read and review! I hope you like it!! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Three: Kindness in London  
  
Lily made her way to London in less than a week, blending in completely with the other invisible people who slept on the park benches and in the alleys of the streets. One night soon after Lily arrived in London she was sitting on the grass under a tree in a park in a fairly well to do neighborhood when a cat came trundling up to her and started licking her hand with its scratchy tongue which cheered Lily up quite a bit. Lily had always liked cats. "Hello there, aren't you gorgeous," Lily said and the cat purred appreciatively. The cat was completely black with bright green eyes and had amazingly soft fur.  
  
Lily heard a voice calling out nearby, "Vixen, where in the devil are you?"  
  
"Are you looking for a cat?" Lily called out hoping that the voice belonged to the cat's owner.  
  
"Yes," said a voice before coming out from behind a tree. The owner of the cat was wearing pajamas and had bright blue eyes and dark brown hair and she was Lily's age. The woman seeing Lily, looked confused and muttered something that sounded like, "But she doesn't go near muggles," before saying loud enough for Lily to understand, "Thank you so much. Vixen just loves to run away at all hours. Why are you outside at this time of night?" she asked.  
  
"About to get some sleep before going to look for a job," Lily said quietly, still petting Vixen which purred loudly and meowed at its owner.  
  
"Really? You're sleeping outside? Don't you have somewhere to stay?" she asked.  
  
"I ran away from my sister's house. She was making me into a slave and I couldn't stand it," Lily said a slight tremble echoing in her voice.  
  
"Well, I'm Arabella Figg and if you would accept I would like to thank you for finding Vixen by giving you a place to stay until you can get a job," Arabella said kindly and offered her hand to Lily to help her up off the ground.  
  
"Oh gosh, I wouldn't want to intrude or anything like that," Lily said embarrassed. "I've got a shower, food and a warm bed. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you," Arabella said firmly.  
  
"Are you sure? I mean as far as you know I could be some psychopath looking for victims," Lily said in a stunned voice.  
  
"Vixen wouldn't have gone near you if you were. So tell me your name and we'll get going," Arabella said gently still holding out her hand.  
  
"I'm Lily Evans," Lily said picking up her bag and letting Vixen off her lap before standing with Arabella's hand as help.  
  
"Well Lily, it's nice to meet you. So how about something to eat?" Arabella said and led the way through the park to her home that was warm, inviting and filled with at least a dozen more cats who all liked Lily just as much as Vixen had causing Arabella to look at her strangely.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Lily asked quietly wondering if she smelt horrible or looked as horrible as she felt.  
  
"Nothing really, just that my cats don't tend to take to Mu-uh-strangers," Arabella covered and went to show Lily to a room and get her towels for a shower. "I'll make you something light to eat and we can get to know each other a little better, after you clean up," she said laying two large white towels on the toilet seat.  
  
"You have no idea how much I appreciate this Arabella," Lily said smiling, barely hiding the tears of gratitude that were looking to spill from her eyes.  
  
"It really is no problem. Now hurry up, I haven't had company in ages," Arabella said pushing Lily into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. Arabella heard the shower turn on about ten minutes later and began heating up some soup and a kettle for tea. She was wondering why Vixen and her other cats had so taken to Lily when they never, ever liked muggles. She decided to write a quick letter to the fountain of all knowledge from her school days at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Albus Dumbledore.  
  
Dear Professor,  
  
I have just taken in someone that I believe to be a muggle. She's homeless and one of my cats, (who you know very well detest muggles, and thanks again for clearing that up for me), ran out and went right up to her being like she would with any other witch or wizard. Her name is Lily Evans and I'm strangely concerned about her, like she's an old friend who is in trouble. Please send your advice as soon as possible as I know you are a very busy man. I hope that the weather is good up there, it's fair here, and thank you again for everything.  
  
Arabella Figg  
  
Arabella folded up the letter and sent it off with her owl Perseus just as the shower turned off in the bathroom.  
  
Lily stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later in jeans and a sweater and her vibrant red hair hanging wetly down almost a foot below her shoulders. "You clean up very nice," Arabella said smiling and gesturing to the waiting soup and tea at the cozy dinning room table.  
  
"Thank you," Lily said smiling and driving all the accumulated shadows from her face before she quickly braided her hair and put it up so it hung a little below her shoulders.  
  
"Again, it's no problem, eat," Arabella said sitting across from Lily at the table. "Tell me a little bit about your self Lily," she said quietly.  
  
"Well, I'm 17; I graduated from high school barely a week ago. I was raised by my parents with my sister Petunia who is five years older then I am. My parents died when I was fifteen essentially driving me into the depths of hell to live with my sister and her vile husband Vernon Dursley," Lily said in a calmly bitter voice as she spooned some soup into her mouth rather elegantly. "I couldn't stand being treated as if I was barely a person so I left saying that I wouldn't be going back and I don't plan to. I honestly doubt I will ever speak with her again," she continued after she had swallowed the delicious soup.  
  
"I'm very sorry," Arabella said in a comforting voice as Vixen began winding her way through and around Lily's legs.  
  
"It's okay, I'll be fine. You know something; you're the closest thing I've had to a friend since before I was 15," Lily said quietly as she reached that realization not really certain on what she was feeling other then immense amounts of gratitude towards this person she barely knew and was starting to like quite a bit. "Tell me something of you Arabella," Lily said kindly.  
  
"Well I lived with my parents constantly until I was 11 and I went to boarding school 10 months out of the year in northern Scotland, and then I only spent summers and vacations with them. That's where I met my ex- fiancé, at school. Then I graduated just last year and I've been living with all these cats ever since," Arabella said gently.  
  
"Ex-fiancé?" Lily asked quietly hoping the subject wasn't too touchy for her.  
  
"Well we dated since my 5th year at school and when we got into the real world we discovered some problems. Like Sirius' immaturity and my pushiness. It just wasn't working out so we parted ways and are still friends," Arabella said without even a hint of bitterness but maybe just a touch of loneliness somewhere in there.  
  
"You still love him?" Lily asked quietly again hoping that she wasn't prying too much into this kind woman's life.  
  
"Yes, very much; I just can't handle living like we're still in school expecting him to pull pranks every other say. I expect that when he grows up enough to realize the world isn't just pranks and jokes that he'll come back," Arabella said and sighed wistfully.  
  
"I wish I knew what it was like to be in love, like my parents were, like you and Sirius," Lily said pausing with a spoonful of soup midway into the air.  
  
"Don't' worry Lily, you'll meet someone eventually," Arabella said brightly. "Now, finish your soup, I have to feed the cats before they attack us and gnaw on our bones," and she skipped out of the room to the sound of Lily's delighted laughter.  
  
Lily smiled and finished her soup listening to Arabella's cats scurry around attempting to get the food. By the time Arabella finished Lily was yawning and Arabella led her to here guest room and Vixen rushed in and hid beneath the bed, meowing as if telling Arabella to go away.  
  
"It seems that Vixen has taken to you, and there isn't much I can do to reverse it," Arabella said apologetically.  
  
"Oh, I really don't mind. Don't worry about it," Lily said smiling and reaching over to pet Vixen who had come out from under the bed and jumped on top of it.  
  
"Okay, sleep well Lily," Arabella said closing the door as she left the room.  
  
Lily changed into some pajamas that Arabella had left for her and she looked around at her surroundings. There was a very nice sleigh bed in mahogany in the center of the room covered with red and gold pillows and comforter. The bed looked so inviting that the only thing Lily unpacked was the framed photo of her parents. She set it on the nightstand and crawled into the bed and Vixen lay on the covers next to her. In less than 10 minutes Lily was sleeping peacefully.  
  
Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter even though it's kind of just a filler chapter. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon as I just have to type it up and stuff. So Please, read and review! ~Frankie~ 


	4. Unexpected Discoveries

Author's Note: Hey, this is Frankie again. Everyone seems to like this story a lot so I thank all sorts of people again.  
  
Bell- I changed a few minor details in the story so it would be more appropriate in my head. It just gives the Marauders time to have put together lives and such. Thank you for reviewing.  
  
MerlinHalliwell- Thank you I hope you like how I've set them up to meet. It's not for a few chapters yet, at least two so hold on tight, I'll get it out soon!  
  
myancestorsarefromFinland- Mine are too. I was reading that story, so I thank you for sending me that link, I really appreciate it!  
  
The Elfin Child- I'm working on typing everything up. I have 103 paged hand written down and I'm daily adding more. My hand hurts like the devil because of it, but it's worth it.  
  
EmeraldDream- Hehe, I know all. You'll see what happens soon! I promise.  
  
MegHarts. thank you!  
  
Thank you all for reviewing! I hope I didn't forget anyone! I love reviews they lift up my spirits! Again, please review!! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Four: Unexpected Discoveries  
  
Lily woke up the next morning to the smell of freshly cooked breakfast and Vixen licking her hand as if to say, "Wake up, I'm hungry." Lily crawled regretfully out of bed and opened the door and Vixen rushed ahead of her as she headed down stairs to the kitchen. Lily yawned as she stepped into the kitchen announcing her arrival.  
  
"Good morning Lily, I trust you slept well," Arabella said as she dished eggs, bacon and hash browns on to a plate and handed it to Lily along with a glass of orange juice.  
  
"Yes, I did. Thank you so much, you know you didn't have to cook for me," Lily said quietly remembering the last time that she had woken up to have breakfast waiting for her. It was the morning before her parents died. Lily set the plate and the glass down and broke down crying.  
  
Arabella rushed over and held her tightly whispering, "Everything is okay sweetheart. You're okay. Everything is okay," she repeated that like a mantra before Lily finally calmed down enough to explain.  
  
"I haven't cried openly over them since the night that I went to Petunias. Originally I was almost catatonic and then it finally clicked that my mum and dad wouldn't want be to close up completely so I started speaking sometimes and I would talk to my self and sadly my teddy bear as my she was my only companion. When Petunia's tortures finally became too much for me I left, or I planned to for a quite a while waiting until I got out of school. In all that time I never woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking as I was always the one making the meals, that's why I broke down," Lily said in her rambling explanation.  
  
"Oh sweetheart, you're just fine now and you're going to make it out in that crazy world, I know it," Arabella said smiling at Lily who embraced her gently.  
  
"Thank you so much Arabella, I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for this, for every thing," Lily said wiping a long tear from her face.  
  
"Don't worry about it Lily, and if you want to you can call me Bella, a lot of my friends do," Arabella said then pointed to the place on the table, "Now eat. I have a little business to take care of," she said and left the kitchen with a smile. Lily sat down and ate the food that was just as delicious as the soup from the night before. "I'll be back soon Lily," Arabella said and Lily heard the door close before Lily could ask to come with.  
  
Lily sighed and decided to look around not thinking about snooping but just getting used to Arabella's home. She washed and dried her dishes and set them out to dry out of habit, and began to explore with Vixen right on her heels. She walked upstairs and randomly walked into rooms. She realized she'd walked into Arabella's bedroom a little late as Vixen meowed loudly at her feet. There were many strange things in the room and Lily just thought that Arabella had gone to America and come back with strange things; Vixen meowed as if in agreement.  
  
Lily was about to leave before she spotted a silver framed picture with Arabella and a young man she didn't know in it. They were looking at each other and smiling, Lily could tell that they were in love and as she looked at it she felt like the picture came to life and the couple kissed romantically. Lily shook her head and turned to leave the room and head back down to the kitchen. Just as she entered the kitchen a large grey owl flew in the window.  
  
Lily almost screamed before realizing that it was probably the only time she would see an owl in her life. Vixen was meowing rather loudly and the owl seemed indifferent. Lily walked up slowly and carefully, her arm was outstretched she touched the silky feathers gently and the owl hooted appreciatively so as not to scare Lily. "You're absolutely beautiful aren't you?" Lily whispered and the owl hooted again sticking her leg out where a piece of parchment was tied. She undid the tie and took the parchment in her hand just as Arabella came back in the house and Vixen mewed loudly.  
  
"Lily are you." Arabella started as she came into the kitchen and saw Lily with her owl and a letter that must have been Dumbledore's response. "I see you've met Perseus," Arabella said delicately taking the parchment from Lily.  
  
"He's yours?" Lily asked her eyes wide with shock.  
  
"Yes, I have a special license. He takes letters to old friend when I can't use the post office," Arabella said calmly as she pet Perseus and the owl stepped gracefully onto Arabella's hand and she put the bird in his cage.  
  
"He's amazing," Lily said quietly as she smiled widely watching the owl with curious eyes.  
  
"Yes, he's lovely. When did he arrive?" Arabella asked gently.  
  
"About 5 minutes ago. I almost screamed before I realized he must be yours," Lily said and her shock faded and she thought nothing more of how strange it was for this woman who was not much more then a year older then her to be owning an owl.  
  
"You don't think it's odd?" Arabella asked, it was her turn to be surprised now.  
  
"Not really. My neighbor at home with my parents has one and every morning a different one would arrive. He told me it was normal for him and that it was how he communicated with his wife who worked at a school in Scotland," Lily explained and turned to look at Arabella. "I've seen them all over London in fact," Lily said and smiled.  
  
Arabella nodded realizing that Lily may have been raised a muggle but she didn't have muggle eyes. "Okay, well, I really should read this so if you need me I'll be in my room," she said and rushed up the stairs. Arabella closed the door behind her and noticed all of the wizard things that were lying about her room. A picture of herself and Sirius that she kept meaning to remove but never really wanted to, a sneakoscope, and a dozen other different things. Arabella shook her head and began to read Dumbledore's reply:  
  
Dear Arabella Figg,  
  
I am very surprised to be hearing the name Lily Evans. She was supposed to attend Hogwarts starting when you were in second year. I received a letter saying that she didn't wish to attend and before term started I heard that she had been killed in a muggle accident. One of those cars they all drive about, isn't it amazing what they come up with to get around with out magic? But I still find it very ironic that she found her way into your hands. Please keep watch over her. I must see if she displays any signs of magic or any influence from the Dark Arts. I am in London currently and I will be arriving at your house at 5 this evening.  
  
Albus Dumbledore  
  
Arabella sat on her bed stunned. She'd never heard of a witch or wizard denying to go to Hogwarts. Something strange was going on and it wasn't good, it made Arabella feel uneasy, as if things were about to drastically change. Arabella glanced at the clock and found that Dumbledore would be arriving in less then an hour. Arabella quickly came up with a story to explain Dumbledore's unexpected arrival.  
  
Author's Note: Ha! I own something in this chapter. technically Perseus is my creation, and Vixen. so don't go taking them. And the neighbor, he's kind of tied to my other fic, Lily Evans and The Marauders. But you'll have to wait and see where that comes in and how it ties, if you even care to read my other fic. But thanks to all who read, please review! ~Frankie~ 


	5. Confusing Lily

Author's Note: Here I am again. I guess I really like this story and the reviews I've been getting for it otherwise I know I wouldn't have chapter 5 out already. Whew! *wipes forehead* I'm really glad you all like it! More thank yous:  
  
SleepieCareBear- I'm sorry, I'd just posted chapter 4 when you had reviewed so I'm sorry! I'm glad you like Vixen, I was a little worried about what people would think of my kitty creation.  
  
Bell- It's okay, thank you for both of your reviews. I'm glad you like my little Alternate Universe.  
  
Hanna-chan- I'm glad you like it!  
  
Cherry Blood or The Elfin Child whichever you are. - Thanks for the review. I hope I can get Lily's finding out soon; this chapter kind of lays the ground work. And whichever stole pen names don't do that it confuzzles the writer. whee.  
  
Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter, as usual; anything you recognize isn't mine its J.K's or someone else's. Ha, the necklace is something I wish I owned because I like the mentioned jewels. So yeah, don't sue me and all flames will be used for my smokes. Love ya! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Five: Confusing Lily  
  
"Lily, the letter was from my Grandfather Albus letting me know that he's coming to visit this evening at 5," Arabella said upon spotting Lily in the room that she was sleeping in.  
  
"Really? That sounds interesting. oh, am I going to be in the way?" Lily asked quietly thinking that maybe Arabella's grandfather might be one of those high-strung types who didn't like outsiders or people with out jobs or homes.  
  
"Oh no! He actually wants to meet you as I mentioned you last night when I wrote him," Arabella said a little nervous that Lily might not buy this story.  
  
Lily looked up, "Why would he want to meet me?" she asked slightly confused.  
  
"He says that he likes meeting my friends and he's in town on business so he wants to stop by," Arabella said quickly and convincingly.  
  
"Okay, I'll just clean up a little bit and be right down," Lily said and began going through her things quickly in search of her nice outfit to make a good impression, and Arabella left her to it, going down to wait for Dumbledore while Lily showered.  
  
About two minutes before Dumbledore arrived Lily came down the stairs in a yellow flowered skirt and a dark blue t-shirt with her hair braided down her back neatly. When Dumbledore arrived he was wearing muggle clothes; faded jeans and a tie dyed t-shirt, with is extremely long hair and beard he looked a little like a hippie.  
  
"Grandfather," Arabella said welcoming him inside with a very brief hug.  
  
"Bella, so lovely to see you again," Dumbledore said with a wink and turned to Lily. "And you must be Lily," he said looking at her carefully through his spectacles.  
  
"Yes, I'm Lily Evans, it's nice to meet you," Lily said a smile lighting up her face as she shook Dumbledore's hand.  
  
Just in that brief touch Dumbledore realized that she was a very powerful witch and untrained she could be very dangerous, but he was also suspicious because in this time Voldemort had control over many people and you never knew who he had 'taken under his wing'. "Your name sounds rather familiar Lily, where did you go to school?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"In Kent until I was 15 and then I moved in with my sister in Surrey because my parents died in a car accident," Lily replied her smiled fading a little and a lamp in the corner flickered slightly.  
  
"Did you or your parents ever get any offers to any private boarding schools when you were younger?" Dumbledore asked carefully seeing that his line of questioning was disturbing Lily and she was getting close to an explosion.  
  
"Not that I know of," Lily said quietly, sighing, and the lamp stopped flickering.  
  
"Have you ever heard of Hogwarts?" he asked quickly and when Lily shook her head he got a strange look on his face, "Lily, if you could excuse us, I have to ask Bella something," he said.  
  
"Of course, I'll be upstairs," Lily said and went upstairs to ponder Arabella's 'grandfather's' strange questions.  
  
"What is it Albus?" Arabella asked when Lily was out of earshot.  
  
"She should have gone to Hogwarts, and she never received her letter. I am beginning to wonder if Voldemort has something to do with this," Dumbledore said his eyes glinting with anger. "I'm going to have to cast a spell on something to restrain her powers before she explodes and all that cooped up energy kills her. Then we have to get her private instructors to help her control it," Dumbledore explained quietly as Arabella was struck with an idea.  
  
"Professor, I bout a charmed necklace today in Diagon Alley, it's to let me know if she gets into any trouble so I could help her. You could cast the spell on it," Arabella said and pulled a bag out of her purse on the table; out of the bag came a beautiful antique looking ruby necklace.  
  
"Perfect, great thinking Arabella," Dumbledore said and took his want from his pocket, mumbled a few words and the pear shaped dark red ruby was suddenly joined by a beautiful pear shaped emerald dangling below the ruby on an antique type chain like the necklace it's self. They both glinted magnificently in the light. "Beautiful, and natural," Dumbledore said as he examined the necklace for anything that could be fixed.  
  
"Natural?" Arabella asked slightly confused.  
  
"Oh yes, the ruby came from Burma and the emerald from came from Zambia in Africa," Dumbledore said gently handing Arabella the necklace.  
  
"The emerald is your own?" Arabella asked.  
  
"Yes, a sort of heirloom. You will have to give this too her as soon as possible. I can't stay any longer. I have to find out more about what is going on here," Dumbledore said gently. "Don't' let her leave Arabella, if she does something terrible might happen to her. She's important, that much is obvious. Have a good night, and give Lily my apologies for leaving so soon," he said and opened the door and stepped out into the night.  
  
Upstairs Lily was wondering what was going and she heard the door downstairs open and close before Arabella called, "Lily, come down here please!"  
  
"Coming," Lily called back and went down to find Dumbledore had done. "He left?" she asked wondering why that fact didn't make her feel any better about what was going on.  
  
"Yes, he said he had something terribly important to do and had to leave. He sends his apologies on leaving so suddenly," Arabella explained fiddling with the necklace in her right hand.  
  
"He was very odd Bella, why did he ask those strange questions?" Lily asked putting her hand to her head gently trying to ease a tension headache she felt coming on.  
  
"I rarely understand him Lily, so don't worry about it. There's a method to his madness and he's the only one who understands it," Arabella said gently mentioning the popular saying.  
  
"I'll try not to worry about it," Lily quietly and felt the floor beginning to tremble beneath her feet.  
  
Arabella felt the vibration too and knew that she had to get that necklace on Lily soon, or something horrible might happen. "Lily, I have something I want to give you, it's a necklace I got today while I was out. When I saw it I thought of you and I wanted you to have something nice for your job search," Arabella said quickly handing over the necklace.  
  
"I couldn't possibly accept it," Lily said seeing the ruby/emerald combination.  
  
"Please don't argue, I really want you to have it and it would be really nice if you didn't take it off," Arabella said walking over and fastening the chain around her neck personally.  
  
"Okay, if you're certain I will," Lily said suddenly feeling much calmer and the shudder that they felt disappeared.  
  
Arabella sighed and ran her hands through her hair gently. "I'm going to go work on dinner, do whatever you would like to do," Arabella said quietly and walked up to the kitchen.  
  
Lily walked up to her bedroom and pulled her journal out of her bag and began to write:  
  
Diary,  
  
I'm beginning to wonder who Arabella Figg really is. I have this weird feeling that something strange is going on and I think I caused it. I've very grateful to her for taking me in but I think it might be best if I leave as soon as possible for the safety of everyone.  
  
I felt so strange tonight, as if all my frustrations were about to just come barreling out and then Bella put this beautiful necklace on me and all those feelings disappeared. I'm thinking clearer then I have been in years. I have to leave for Bella's safety; if something happened to her I would never forgive myself. I think if I do stay something strange or dangerous is going to happen and I don't want Bella to get hurt. I will leave tonight after dinner when Bella goes to sleep. I will leave you her so she understands. I'm sorry. I just have to leave. I'll come back when I'm settled, I just need to make something for myself. I can't rely on people until I get myself settled.  
  
Always,  
  
Lily Evans  
  
Lily finished writing just as Arabella called her down for dinner. As previously the meal was absolutely delicious and Lily felt bad for planning to run away and even worse for planning to go ahead with it, but she knew she had to do it.  
  
As the meal ended Lily told Arabella that she wanted to rest for a while because she was tired after the excitement of the day. Arabella told her to sleep well and cleaned up the dishes before heading to sleep herself.  
  
Lily wrote Arabella an apology letter to leave on her bed and she quietly packed her things and waited until she heard Arabella's light snoring in her bedroom before she slung her backpack over her shoulder after changing into jeans and a gray sweater and headed out into the foggy London night.  
  
Author's Note: If this chapter is confusing ask a question in a review. *sighs* I hope you all liked it! ~Frankie~ 


	6. Leaving With Worry

Author's Note: Hello again! You guys really seem to like this story, and I'm glad. So here's chapter six. I changed a few details in chapter 5 and put them in here. I guess it makes for better telling or something.  
  
Thank yous:  
  
Aimee- Thank you, I am glad you like where it's headed.  
  
The Elfin Child- Soon, I promise within two chapter's James will enter the picture. I think chapter 8. No promises, but I think that's where he enters things.  
  
Sirius' Lover- Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy the plot as much as I do. This is the result of slacking off at school, but shh, don't tell Santa. *tear* you called it fantastic. JOY!  
  
Bell- Thanks for pointing out that er.. error. Whoops. James comes soon, read Elfin Child's thank you if you didn't already.  
  
And here's the next chapter. Love all you guys. read & review please! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Six: Leaving With Worry  
  
Before Lily had gone to the park that fateful night she had stored some of her things in a locker at King's Cross station, so Lily returned to the station just as a place to start once morning came. She sat in a corner writing until dawn when she went to buy herself a cup of tea and a light sandwich, leaving her with just over 30 pounds in her pocket. She sat waiting patiently for the shops to open so that she could begin her search for a job.  
  
That morning Arabella woke to the sound of Vixen mewing and scratching at her door and she knew something was wrong. She rushed into Lily's room and found the note and Lily's diary sitting on the bed; she picked up the note and read:  
  
Bella,  
  
I'm sorry. I have to leave. I know you don't want me to but I have to make it on my own and settle myself somewhere before I can even begin to rely on anyone again. I know you wouldn't disappoint me if I was to stay here and we would probably become great friends if I was to stay but I have to go. I'm leaving my journal, you can read it and you will probably understand a little more. I just feel like I'm endangering you the longer I stay. Thank you for everything, I greatly appreciate it. I will let you know where I am once I get settled. I will pay you back for everything; please don't worry too much about me. Thank you again for everything. I hope to see you soon.  
  
Always, Lily Evans  
  
"Oh Merlin, Dumbledore is going to kill me," Arabella whispered and Vixen meowed in agreement. She picked up the diary and went down stairs to her fireplace and flooed to Hogwarts, arriving in Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Arabella? What's going on?" Dumbledore asked after she stepped out of the fireplace.  
  
"She left. She left a note and her diary, she must have left after I fell asleep Professor," Arabella said looking a little scared and worried as she waited for Dumbledore to respond.  
  
"It's alright. If you had tried to keep her she may have run off without caring to let you know. I suggest that you go home and wait, perhaps she will return in a few days," Dumbledore said looking weary and tired.  
  
"Are you sure there is nothing we can do?" Arabella asked desperately.  
  
"Only hope that Voldemort doesn't decide to look for her again," Dumbledore sighed and Arabella noticed for the first time exactly how old he looked.  
  
Author's Note: Sorry this is so short; this is pretty much a filler chapter! I didn't want to start the next chapter here. so, yeah. keep reading!! & reviewing!! ~Frankie~ 


	7. Getting A Job

Author's Note: Hey, it's me again. Two Chapters in one night, aren't you proud? Well here are my thanks yous again:  
  
SleepieCareBear- I'm glad you like the hippie thing, I changed it last minute. There might be another chapter out tonight just because I feel like it. so I hope you like it!  
  
ElfFlame: Thank you even though I am slightly confused as what you mean by characterizations, but that's okay, I just used my handy-dandy thesaurus.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing! Okay, I own a little bit but yeah, please don't steal it, I would be very sad and I would cry. J.K. gets credit for Harry Potter. sadly I wasn't the one who came up with it and is now raking in piles of money. Oh well. I will one day write something and it will be good. I hope. So on with the story!  
  
So, here's the next chapter! I hope you like it. Its kind hinting at things and future conflicts, but yeah. I hope you like it! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Seven: Getting a Job  
  
Back in London Lily was wandering around the streets looking for places that were hiring. She wasn't having much luck and she was beginning to get frustrated. She sat down on a bench in front of a shop to come up with other ideas for ways to get a job. She was about to get up and buy a newspaper when a rude man with white blonde hair and well-to-do looking clothing threw a paper at her feet and said, "Get a job silly girl," and walked off laughing as if to some private joke.  
  
Lily was about to make some smart aleck comment in return when she suddenly just didn't feel like it anymore and decided to pick up the paper and have a look. It was a classifieds section of a paper Lily had never seen before. She was about to throw it away when one ad in particular caught her eye. It read:  
  
Maid/Caretaker Wanted  
  
Minimal Experience Necessary  
  
Please Inquire At:  
  
57 Portrait Drive  
  
Godric's Hollow  
  
Essex  
  
Ask for J. Potter  
  
Lily decided that after the past two and a half years or so of doing all the chores at Petunia's that she had some qualification in the area and made her way to Godric's Hollow. She arrived at about one that afternoon and knocked on the door of a beautiful white house and waited. An older woman opened the door, "Can I help you?" she asked kindly.  
  
"I found an ad in the paper saying that there was a caretaking position open at this address. Is it still available?" Lily asked nicely, she'd stopped on the way and changed into the yellow flowered skirt and dark blue t-shirt that she'd worn to meet Dumbledore the previous day.  
  
"Yes, actually you are the first person to stop by about the job. Please come inside," the woman said and introduced herself. "My name is Leslie Felsham. I'm Mr. Potter's secretary," she explained leading Lily through the house which appeared even larger inside then it did outside.  
  
"May I ask where Mr. Potter is?" Lily asked quietly.  
  
"He's on a business trip. He will be back by tomorrow morning at the latest," Leslie said and led Lily into a small parlor, "What's your name?" Leslie asked after offering tea and inviting Lily to sit down.  
  
"Lily Evans, ma'am," Lily said quietly.  
  
"Please call me Leslie, Mr. Potter isn't an extremely formal employer, he allows us to go by our first names," Leslie said and smiled sensing Lily's nervousness.  
  
"Okay. Leslie," Lily said softly.  
  
"What's your experience with cooking, cleaning and doing laundry?" Leslie asked her hand poised to write in a notebook with a feather pen, *cough* QUILL *cough*.  
  
"Well, for the past two and half years or more I've been living with my sister and her husband. They made me responsible for cooking, cleaning, gardening and pretty much every other household chore you can think of," Lily replied and Leslie looked up questioningly.  
  
"My parents died in a car accident when I was 15," Lily said and looked down at the floor slightly.  
  
"Oh, okay. Are you 18?" Leslie asked fairly sure of the answer.  
  
"In two months, but I graduated for school before I left my sisters'. This would actually be my first real job," Lily answered honestly.  
  
"So you're still a minor and you're not emancipated?" she asked.  
  
"No, but I couldn't live with my sister any longer. I was planning only on staying till I was out of school either way," Lily said hoping that she would get this job, as she was actually looking forward to it.  
  
"May I ask why you didn't want to live with your sister any longer?" Leslie asked eyeing Lily questioningly.  
  
"Irreconcilable differences," Lily said quietly.  
  
"Okay and you haven't been imprisoned for any reason?" Leslie asked just in case this girl was some crazy looking for victims.  
  
"No, I have a clean record," Lily said slightly surprised at the question.  
  
"Okay then. You seem qualified enough so I'm willing to let you have a trial period but James is the one who would be the final authority on the matter. So, I'll show you around and leave you to it," Leslie said and stood up.  
  
"You mean you're going to let me be here alone?" Lily asked quietly shocked.  
  
"Why wouldn't I?" Leslie asked looking slightly confused.  
  
"Never mind," Lily said and stood following Leslie on a tour of the house.  
  
"This is where you'll be sleeping," Leslie said and pushed open a door at the end of the west hallway allowing Lily to enter first.  
  
Lily's jaw dropped dramatically as she looked around the beautifully furnished room. There was a four poster bed in the center of the room that immediately caught her attention. It was polished mahogany with ebony inlays of flowers and ivy. The bedding was a deep dark green with about 10 fluffy decorative pillows in various hues of green with black embroidery and tassels. There were side tables with two drawers also in the same mahogany and ebony decoration. There was a gorgeous Tiffany lamp on each of the tables. The curtains hanging above the windows were a flimsy white lace under thick dark green curtains. The walls were white with mahogany paneling and a few well place portraits that looked very much like original Monet's hung on the walls. There was a large ebony desk off to one side of the room and a small sitting area with a dark green cushy sofa and two chairs with a coffee table in darkly finished oak with two standing lamps of Tiffany style. Across from the four poster was a beautiful bay window with a cushion covering the ledge as well as two pillows propped up against the wall.  
  
"Is everything okay?" Leslie asked in a confused manner.  
  
"No, everything is perfect. I've just have seen a room so wonderful that I could call my own," said Lily as she wiped away a stray tear from her eye.  
  
"Okay then. I'll leave you to it. I have a little business to take care of and then the house is all yours until James returns," Leslie said and walked out of the room closing the door behind her.  
  
Lily set down her bag near the door and walked over to the bed. She pressed her hand into the soft covers and felt the urge to climb in and sleep away the afternoon. She resisted and walked over to one of the other doors in the room. It led to a spacious bathroom through a large closet. The bathtub was large and done in green and white marble while the walls were white with vines and ivy detailed along the border of the room. Not wanting to break into hysterical tears she exited and walked to the other door which led to a staircase that was rather dimly lit. She walked down the stairs and came to the kitchen and decided to start working and familiarize herself with the ins and outs of Mr. James Potter's kitchen. She found mountains of food stocked up in the pantry and a closet full of cleaning supplies, none of which she recognized the names of.  
  
Deciding to ready herself for her working she went back upstairs and grabbed her bag, taking her notebooks and journals and setting them on one corner of the desk; her red teddy bear went at the foot of the bed and her clothes were taken downstairs to the laundry and she washed them quickly before starting on the house.  
  
Lily washed, mopped, waxed and dusted the bottom floor of the house completely before she realized that the clock was striking nine PM and that her stomach was growling angrily at her demanding food. She went to the kitchen and fixed herself a small salad and ate at a woodblock table in the kitchen before going to examine the other rooms in the house for signs of dust, dirt and wear.  
  
She found a library full to bursting with various types of books and randomly picked out off the shelf. Finding it interesting and it was going on eleven o'clock she decided to shower and head to bed to sleep in her gorgeous room so that she could get up early and have breakfast prepared for Mr. James Potter in the morning. She changed into pajamas that she found in the closet, nice satin button up pajamas with comfortable lounging pants in a dark purple.*A/N: ha you thought everything would be green!* She went out and left the entry hall light and the upstairs hall light on for James incase he arrived before morning.  
  
Author's Note: This chapter is fairly short I guess. And there isn't so much dialogue as my previous chapters mainly because I wanted you to get the feel for James house. Oh, note all the floors in the house are pretty much hardwood floors covered in throw rugs and carpets. I forgot to mention that. I hope you like it, please review! ~Frankie~ 


	8. Meeting Mr Potter

Author's Note: Hey, it's me again. Sorry I didn't get a chapter out yesterday. I was distracted by a book, romance, sadly. But yeah, I finished one story and decided I should post another chapter before you readers' riot. So here's some thank yous and then on with the story!  
  
SAKURAnTOKYO- Yes, but I think it's only if Lily's in mortal peril with the whole necklace thing, I still haven't decided how it reacts yet. I am still thinking it all out.  
  
Lily Rose Evans- Lily left for two major reasons: 1) she feels like she needs to make something of herself and for herself on her own, it's something she feels needs to be done without help. 2) She thinks that Bella is hiding something important about her and she doesn't want to think about it. So basic denial and run theory here. Also, I am Fate in this story and I say she runs! *cackles* Whoops little too much like Voldie there. Thank you for the wonderful review!  
  
Bell- I couldn't help a satisfied yes! When I saw your review *grins* I'm glad, extremely glad that you love it and didn't see it coming!  
  
C?line- Well I have like 118 pages hang written it's just a matter of typing them up and editing, adding etc. So I try to get up a chapter a day at least. Glad you loved Bella, don't worry though, I promise she will be back.  
  
Walk-Way Hall- Thanks I'm glad!  
  
The Elfin Child- Hehe, I knew I would irritate someone.  
  
SleepieCareBear- Hehe, you remind me of Teegs, except she ah, kidnapped Sean and Draco and has them interrupting her, it's silliness.  
  
Kristatmen- Thanks!  
  
Well, that's all for now! Read and Review please! I hope you all like this chapter and notice things. There are a few details in here that kind of hint at things. I hope you see them. ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Eight: Meeting Mr. Potter  
  
At 5:30 the next morning Lily heard the shower in Mr. James Potter's room turn on and she got up and dressed quickly in jeans and a long sleeve lavender shirt and went downstairs to start making breakfast. IN 20 minutes a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese covered hashbrowns were arranged on a plate with a glass of orange juice and a cup of black coffee on the woodblock table. Lily walked quietly up the back stairs listening for James Potter in the kitchen.  
  
At 5 o'clock that morning Mr. James Potter walked into his bedroom and unpacked his bags from his business trip in Scotland and jumped into the shower washing away all the fatigue. He got out dried off and changed into some sweatpants and a white t-shirt and walked by his desk looking for messages. He found one from Leslie which he read aloud just to hear something other then just his footsteps in his bedroom, "James, I've hired a girl to take care of you and the house. It's a trial period so if you want to let her go I will completely understand, as will she. She's staying in the Green Room. Her name is Lily Evans. It would probably be best to tell her your daily schedule when you see her as I get the impression she'll try to sink into the woodwork. Good luck. See you on Monday- Leslie," he recited and looked bewildered before remember the ad he'd place in the Daily Prophet looking for some kind of human companion as House Elves were so very annoyed with their constant servitude.  
  
James made his way to the kitchen preparing to make his own breakfast when he saw a silver cover place over a plate and he lifted it and found the breakfast Lily as made and a small note in curly handwriting that read:  
  
Good Morning. I hope you enjoy your breakfast.  
  
It wasn't signed.  
  
"Must be that girl Leslie hired," James said invitingly hoping that if she was near by she would pop out and introduce herself. James sat down impatiently realizing he wanted to meet the girl, sighed, and took a bite of the hashbrowns. "Wow, this is great," he said to himself wishing for company, but Lily didn't accommodate him.  
  
Lily was hidden in the backstairs listening to Mr. James Potter talk to himself and she began to believe that he was a lonely man because he talked aloud to himself every other thought and read the news paper aloud as if just to hear his own voice. Lily silently made her way up to her room and quickly showered because she hadn't had time, some how just knowing that James was hungry she'd rushed down and cooked and then disappeared. Lily put her clothes back on and made her way down to the closet on the second floor with cleaning supplies in it and began on one of the smaller rooms humming a song in her head quietly.  
  
Downstairs James heard the shower turn on and 10 minutes later turn off as he finished his breakfast tempted to clean the dished but getting the distinct impression that the girl would be annoyed should he wash them himself. So he sighed and went to introduce himself if he could find her. Walking along the upstairs hallway James paused hearing someone humming melodically and went to find its source. He paused at one door in the middle of the hallway and quietly opened the door to find Lily cleaning, but that was the last thing that James noticed. He noticed her hair first, standing out violently red in the middle of this pastel and lace filled room that his mother liked very much. He spotted the emerald tone of her eyes in the mirror and couldn't help but stare, his eyes wide and stunned. He hadn't expected a beautiful girl, let alone one around his age, or at least he thought so. He shook of his thoughts and called out, "Miss Evans I presume?"  
  
Lily turned and looked at James, "Yes, I'm Lily Evans. You must be Mr. Potter," she said trying to keep from taking in every detail of him as she would usually upon meeting someone new.  
  
"Please call me James, if I can call you Lily," James said and smiled stepping into the room and smelling a few muggle cleaning products that he rarely used as he held out his hand for her to shake.  
  
"My hands aren't clean" Lily said quietly.  
  
"Don't worry about it," James said still offering his hand.  
  
Lily tentatively took it and saw briefly in her mind a blinding flash of green light before shaking it off and said, "It's nice to meet you M- James," she smiled at him and James had the distinct feeling that her working for him was going to work out well, very well.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, you know you don't have to work too hard it's only the weekend," James said as he released her hand and suddenly felt quite cold.  
  
"I have very little else to do as I am not entirely sure if you're going to extend my employment beyond this trial period Leslie told me about," Lily said quietly.  
  
"Well considering I came home after a fairly wretched journey expecting to make myself something barely recognizable as food and found what you made I am so far very pleased with you Lily," James said in a friendly manner.  
  
"You're welcome," Lily said feeling her stomach fluttering as if with butterflies was eager to rid herself of the cause of those nerves.  
  
James sensed her nerves and said, "I'll let you be for now, I hope for lunch around noon, please make enough to join me. I like to get to know my employees," he smiled and left the room leaving Lily to her cleaning.  
  
Author's Note: Eep, sorry for the short chapter! Hopefully I can get another one out today before Rocky Horror tonight. I hope you liked this chapter! ~Frankie~ 


	9. Getting To Know You

Author's Note: Hey guys. Sorry I didn't post a second chapter last night I got distracted again. so my apologies. I hope you all liked Meeting James. So in my apologizes I think this chapter might be fairly long. So please enjoy! Here's some thank yous:  
  
MerlinHalliwell- Yes, that's the premise. don't worry everything will be fine. hehe.  
  
Buggy-such- Well, since you have me so figured out. you must know the ending? Wait, nevermind we all know the ending. we just don't know how it got there. and this wouldn't be a Lily/James story without Voldie, so of course that sack of crap shall be here. in fact I wrote a very good scene with him a few days ago. but you have to wait to see it. haha....  
  
Bell- I'm sorry I didn't write another one. but I hope you enjoy this one. EEP! I hope to get this done today (Sunday Central Standard Time: 3:52pm) It was a Rocky Night so I was distracted! I sorry. I'm trying.  
  
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur- Yes, but we don't know how close or separate they are in technicality, so she's less then 2 years younger as if she'd have gone to Hogwarts the year after James and Co. I thought I had explained this. *sighs* I guess I'm not doing my job. going to have to make sure I do. I'm glad you like it though. so. yeah. Thanks for the review!  
  
Celine- James doesn't know she's not a trained witch yet. He's figured that since he put the ad in the Daily Prophet that she is and that she's just a little odd about using magic for cleaning and cooking. but that's it.  
  
MegHarts- Yes, yes she does. heh.  
  
By the way all you readers, I have a tendency of putting little hints in the minor details that don't seem to matter much. So, beware! It's your only warning as I get vaguely annoyed when I have to answer questions that the answers are already given for. but I LOVE YOU ALL! So I won't gripe too much!! I hope you enjoy this lovely chapter. A few more things will be answered here so read & review!!! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Nine: Getting To Know You  
  
By eleven she completely finished two guest rooms and made her way to the kitchen to begin a meal and deal with the dishes from James' breakfast. Passing by James' room she knocked on the door. "Yes Lily?" James asked as he opened the door. He was now wearing dark blue jeans and a maroon button- up shirt.  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted anything specific for lunch." Lily said looking at James' left ear instead of his chocolate brown eyes.  
  
James thought for a moment, "I think that anything you want to make will be fine," James said unconsciously running his hand through his already naturally untidy black hair.  
  
"Alright. Sorry if I disturbed you," Lily said and began to turn away from the door.  
  
"Really, it wasn't any trouble at all. In fact would you mind if I joined you in the kitchen? It would save you a trip back up here to tell me lunch is ready," James said and Lily realized why he kept talking even when there was nothing to talk about. James Potter was lonely, terribly lonely.  
  
"If you really want to I have no problem with it," Lily said and smiled an honest smile that caused her whole face to light up beautifully.  
  
James smiled right back and wondered what caused all the shadows in her eyes and how much he'd like to make them disappear completely. They walked into the kitchen and James sat down at the table to watch Lily examine the cupboards for ideas.  
  
"Do sandwiches sound okay?" Lily asked looking over her shoulder at James from the open refrigerator door.  
  
"Sound wonderful," James said and smiled at her again.  
  
Lily pulled the sandwich makings out and walked over to the pantry for a loaf of bread. "Anything you don't like on your sandwich?" she asked as she took two plates down from one of the cupboards.  
  
"I don't like onions," James said and his nose crunched up in an adorable puppy like way.  
  
"Me either," Lily said and chuckled lightly at the face James was making before turning back to fix the sandwiches.  
  
They made chit chat and small talk about everything and James suddenly suggested, "Why don't you take the day to get used to the place? I mean, it's a fair sized house and you should learn your way around before you starting working full time," he said before taking a bite of the sandwich Lily had prepared.  
  
"Why?" Lily asked bluntly trying to get James to admit his loneliness.  
  
"Well, I would like to get to know more about you because at this point all I know is you're a wonderful cook," James said and his explanation was good enough for Lily.  
  
"So ask what you'd like to know and I'll answer," Lily said and took a bite of her sandwich.  
  
"Okay," James said pausing before asking, "What were you doing before Leslie hired you?"  
  
"Looking all over London for a job," Lily replied.  
  
"Why?" James asked believing there to be a story behind her job search.  
  
"I was living with my sister and her vile husband and I didn't want to any longer so I left and came to London from Surrey to start my own life," Lily said pleasantly.  
  
"Why were you living with your sister?" James asked and watched the shadows return to Lily's eyes before returning briefly.  
  
"My parents died in a car accident when I was 15 and I needed a guardian; Petunia needed a maid," Lily said calmly though she felt anything but.  
  
"I'm sorry," James said genuinely sad that Lily hadn't had a happy past few years which led him to his next question. "How old are you exactly?" he asked.  
  
"I'm still 17, but in two months my birthday comes. I hope that's not a problem for you," Lily said hoping he wouldn't fire her for being too young.  
  
"No, not at all; I'm only 19 myself so it doesn't make any difference to me," James said quietly and found himself wishing inexplicably that she was already 18 before brushing aside the thought and ignoring the reason behind it.  
  
"You're only 19? And this is your own house?" Lily asked awestruck ad the thought.  
  
"Yes, it was bequeathed to me when my parents died. I stayed with my Uncle Frank here until I completed Hogwarts," James said quietly.  
  
"Hogwarts? That's the second time in three days I've heard of that place. What is it?" Lily asked ignoring the question of how James parents had died for now.  
  
James looked up wide eyes and everything fell into place. His musings on why Lily used muggle cleaning products, didn't use magic to make meals, she was a muggle. "Who did you hear it from?" James asked trying to mask his surprise.  
  
"My friend Arabella's grandfather. It was the strangest thing. He dropped by her house and asked me all sorts of questions; like did I ever have any invitations to boarding schools when I was younger, and when I said no he asked if I'd ever heard of Hogwarts and then said he had to talk to Bella before he left abruptly," Lily explained looking confused and fiddled with something around her neck.  
  
"Arabella Figg?" James asked looking confused.  
  
"Yes! How do you know her?" Lily asked tilting her head so some of her hair fell loosely into her eyes and she brushed it away.  
  
"We are friends from school," James said quietly and distinctly remembered that Arabella's grandfather had died in their 3rd year. "What's that you're playing with?" James asked.  
  
Lily looked down and saw the ruby and emerald pendant between her fingers. "Bella gave it to me. She told me not to take it off and that she wouldn't take no for an answer. I completely forgot it was there," Lily said dropping the pendant so James could get a better view of it contrasting against her lavender shirt.  
  
James looked at it and recognized the charm and the craftsmanship from a shop in Diagon Alley. It was designed to let whoever held it's counterpart know when the wearer was in danger and also tended to have a forgetfulness charm on it so the wearer didn't take it off. He also saw that the emerald was an entirely different charm and he didn't recognize it. "It's probably best to follow Arabella's advice," James said and began wondering why Lily was in contact with Arabella if she was indeed a muggle. "When was the last time you saw her?" he asked quietly still looking at the second jewel on the pendant with a questioning glance.  
  
"Er, the day before yesterday I left her house. She was very kind and took me in the other night when I was about to fall asleep beneath a tree in the park across from her house," Lily answered meekly.  
  
"You should probably tell her where you are," James said still confused as to what attracted Arabella's attention and who exactly her 'grandfather' was.  
  
"I would but I forgot to get her address," Lily said quietly embarrassed that something so important would completely slip her mind.  
  
"I could write her and let her know where you are," James said planning to do so either way and ask what the hell was going on.  
  
"I would appreciate it so much James, thank you," Lily said and smiled brightly at him.  
  
"No problem, just one more question, how did you find out about this job?" James asked wondering how Lily got a hold of a Daily Prophet as they weren't supposed to be seen by muggles, and just looked like blank parchment if they were to see one.  
  
"Well, when I was in London yesterday a very rude young man with very blonde hair threw a newspaper at my feet and told me to get a job. The only thing that looked interesting was this," Lily explained quickly at the jump in conversation topics.  
  
"Do you still have the paper?" James asked eagerly.  
  
"Yes, it's upstairs in my room," Lily said and watched as James stood up and grabbed her hand leading her up the backstairs to her room quickly.  
  
"Please let me see it," James said in an important sounding voice.  
  
Lily walked over to the desk and opened a drawer pulling out a piece of parchment and handed it to James who looked it over carefully and muttered under his breath, "Malfoy," though it came out sounding like a hiss.  
  
"Who?" Lily asked quietly wondering why the name seemed to make James angry.  
  
"Lucious Malfoy. He's a bastard son of Slytherin," James said heatedly, confused, Lily just waited for James to explain. "I'd better go tell Bella where you are. She'll be worried. I'll see you in a few hours. Go visit the Library or something until I get back," James said brushing off Lily's confused expression and leaving room heading down the stairs before Lily could protest.  
  
Lily followed him down the stairs but didn't find him anywhere in the house. She went up to her room and stood looking out the window looking very confused. She shook her head and walked over to her bedside table and took the book she'd selected from the Library the day before and began to read waiting for James to return as she lounged on her bed. Shaking her head at her inability to concentrate she marked her place in her book and climbed off the bed. She grabbed her journal and a pen from her desk and climbed back on the bed to write.  
  
Diary,  
  
This has been the strangest day. I've gotten a job as a maid with a man named James Potter and he's rather strange. He knows Bella though, so I guess he can't be all that bad. In fact he's really quite nice. He reminds me of Bella's grandfather with all his unusual questions. James went to see Bella in fact just a little while ago and I wonder why he left in such a hurry. I get the distinct feeling that people know something about me that I don't even know and that bothers me. I wonder what's going on at Bella's. I really do.  
  
~ L  
  
She finished her entry and pushed her journal a side before taking up reading yet again and waiting rather impatiently for James to return.  
  
Author's Note: I hope you like this chapter. I'm not sure if things entirely make sense yet but I hope so. Please review and give your feedback! ~Frankie~ 


	10. Sharing Information

Author's Note: Hey guys! I reached the 50 review mark! Thank you so much! I love that you guys love my story! It makes me feel so special! So here are some more thank yous:  
  
The Elfin Child: Sorry, I don't realize it's short until it's typed and then it's close to my sleepyby time. so I'm sorry.  
  
SleepieCareBear- Heh, Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it! I'm glad you like where it's going and think it's interesting!  
  
SAKURAnTOKYO- Silly one you are. Yes, green! I'm glad you like it.  
  
Mystic Queen- Soon. In fact just wait till tomorrow and there is the possibility that she will find out. eh? I'm glad you like it!  
  
Bell- You think I'd let her run away? Ha, nope. soon, soon. it's coming.  
  
ElfFlame- I'm glad you like it and I put in the references so that it seems more real, which is part of my insanity, but I am glad you're noticing!  
  
MegHarts- Soon.  
  
Well, I hope you all like this chapter as it wouldn't be good if you didn't. It's kind of a filler chapter because of the shortness but even in my filler chapters I have details that are important. I hope you all like it and I hope that anti-ci-pation is building! *Sorry A Rocky thing* So here's the next chapter! Don't forget to review! Oh, and I don't own Anything Potter related. so just don't sue me! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Ten: Sharing Information  
  
James apparated to Arabella's and knocked hurriedly. "Arabella! It's James, open up?" he called and Arabella appeared at the door looking flustered.  
  
"James? What are you doing here? What's wrong?" Arabella asked letting him inside quickly.  
  
"What's the deal with the necklace that Lily Evans is wearing? Matter of fact, what's the deal with Lily Evans?" James asked hastily.  
  
"Lily? How do you know Lily? More importantly do you know where she is?" Arabella asked her eyes wide with shock and a vague trace of panic.  
  
"I hired her to work for me. I had no idea she was a muggle until she asked what Hogwarts was," James said and began pacing back and forth across the living room floor.  
  
"But she's not a muggle! At least not really. She's an untrained witch she should have gone to Hogwarts the year after we did. I gave her the necklace because I felt connected to her; like she's a long lost friend of mine or something." Arabella explained before asking in confusion, "How did you hire her?"  
  
"Malfoy, I think, spelled a Daily Prophet to look like a normal paper, or at least without the moving pictures and threw it at her expecting her to get confused or something," James said. "She found the ad I put in and got interviewed by Leslie," he finished and ran his hand through his hair absentmindedly.  
  
"This is all so strange," Arabella said and shook out her hair behind her back, trying to find a reasonable explanation of all of this.  
  
"Yeah and another thing, who is the 'grandfather' that Lily was referring to?" James asked eyeing Arabella suspiciously.  
  
"Dumbledore James. I mentioned taking her in to my home in a letter to him and he was confused because she's supposed to be dead and she supposedly declined wanting to attend Hogwarts. So he asked her some questions and he thinks the Voldemort has something to do with it," Arabella explained.  
  
"So he was the one who put the extra charm on the necklace?" James asked putting things together and when Arabella nodded he asked, "What is it for?"  
  
"To keep her powers in check so if she experiences any intense emotions she won't blow up and kill herself or someone else," Arabella explained.  
  
"So I'm sharing my home with a volatile witch, wonderful," James said sarcastically.  
  
"Yes, Dumbledore was going to tell her and have private tutors come and trainer but she disappeared from here before we could tell her, or decide on a way to tell her," Arabella said and sighed rubbing her temple as if a headache was coming on.  
  
"It might be smart if we owl Dumbledore and tell him we found her," James said thoughtfully.  
  
There was a quiet popping noise that neither of them had acknowledged before James spoke and so Dumbledore's voice startled them from their thoughts, "No need to owl me I am already here," he said and chuckled at James' surprised expression.  
  
"Professor!" James exclaimed as his attention was brought to the sudden appearance of the wizened wizard in magenta colored robes standing near the door.  
  
"Yes James, call me Albus, you're not a student anymore," Dumbledore said with a kind smile.  
  
"Okay," James said rather quietly.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Arabella asked in a confused manner.  
  
"I felt the need to come. Now can either of you update me on the situation?" Dumbledore asked importantly.  
  
"Of course," James said and told Dumbledore all he knew. Dumbledore sat down in a chair and laughed out loud.  
  
"P-Albus. what's so funny?" Arabella asked while James looked extremely confused.  
  
"It seems that whatever Voldemort was trying to stop, the Fates have corrected," he replied and smiled his eyes twinkling with humor.  
  
"What do you mean?" James asked his eyebrows raised in question.  
  
"Well I remember that about the time I was receiving Ms. Evans decline to Hogwarts a well known clairvoyant was discovered murdered with the Avada Kedavra in Diagon Alley. It seems that she predicted something to interest Voldemort in Lily Evans and he took actions to make sure that Lily never went to Hogwarts, but the Fates have intervened and brought her into our world anyway," Dumbledore explained with a slightly dimmer smile on his face.  
  
"What do you think the clairvoyant predicted?" Arabella asked as she sat down too.  
  
"It could have been anything from his downfall to Lily being one of his strongest enemies, I really have no idea," Dumbledore said as if he wished he did know what had caused Voldemort's influence.  
  
"So what are we going to do about Lily and how dangerous is she untrained?" James asked with concern in his voice that if you'd asked him about it he wouldn't have been able to adequately explain it.  
  
Dumbledore thought for a moment before he smiled at them as if struck with a brilliant idea. "You will teach her everything she needs to know as I'm sure you both still have your school books and enough knowledge to train her," he said grinning at them humorously.  
  
"You can't be serious!" James exclaimed thinking that it was okay to tutor a fellow student at Hogwarts where there were teachers to correct any mistakes but trying to teach someone who didn't even know the premise of magic was going to be difficult.  
  
"No, I'm Sirius," said a voice from the door and a handsome black haired, black eyes young man grinned at the three wizards in the room.  
  
James looked up and smacked himself for forgetting that Sirius Black was supposed to be at his house that afternoon and tended to arrive in a very exaggerated manner. "What did Lily say when you got to my place Si?" James asked hitting himself again for not remembering to tell Lily about Sirius' arrival.  
  
"She really didn't say much, just looked annoyed that I'd interrupted her reading time. She told me you were at Bella's so I decided to stop by," Sirius said still grinning, and turned to Dumbledore, "But I didn't expect you to be here Professor. I hope I didn't interrupt something important," he said holing out his hand for the older man to shake.  
  
"Call me Albus, you're not a student anymore Sirius," Dumbledore said quietly.  
  
"Okay, Albus, what's going on?" Sirius asked and Dumbledore sighed and quickly explained. "Really? Do you need any help?" Sirius asked and James and Arabella looked at Dumbledore for an answer as they would probably need help but wanted Dumbledore to okay it.  
  
"Yes, we need to get Lily trained quickly before she becomes more of a danger. James, you'll teach her Transfiguration. Bella, you'll help with Charms. Sirius you can teach her on Care of Magical Creatures, mind you that will be mostly book work," Dumbledore said remembering the 3 former students best subjects.  
  
"What about Herbology, Defense and Potions?" James asked looking confused.  
  
"Well, I was thinking of contacting Remus Lupin to help with Defense Against the Dark Arts, if he's not busy," Dumbledore said wondering if the mans special, er, condition would be a problem.  
  
"And the others?" Arabella asked shortly.  
  
"If you want to split Herbology and Potions or have any suggestions I'm all ears," Dumbledore said and thought quietly about someone who could help with Potions.  
  
They looked at each other and Sirius said, "Peter maybe? For Herbology?" with a questioning tone.  
  
"Pettigrew?" Dumbledore asked quietly.  
  
"Yes," Sirius said knowing their slightly clumsy friend was currently jobless and searching.  
  
"Pete's been acting really strange lately though," James said quietly.  
  
"He told me it's from adjusting to living with his Grandmother and having to care for her," Sirius said gently, if not defensively.  
  
"Why doesn't he put her in St. Mungo's?" Arabella asked not thinking to highly of Peter since 7th year at Hogwarts.  
  
"Bella, don't be too critical of Peter," Sirius said defensively.  
  
"I'm sorry. 7th year he just started acting like a moron," Arabella said stubbornly.  
  
Sirius just shook his head and said, "So it's going to be like the good ole days," to change the subject to something more friendly and grinned mischievously.  
  
"First we have to tell Lily, Sirius, and that might take some doing," Dumbledore said and they began to talk about what to say and soon there after apparated to Godric's Hollow to break the news to Lily.  
  
Author's Note: Again I'm sorry for the shortness but I put a great deal of hints in here for possibilities of what's to come. So I hope you find and enjoy them! Review!! ~Frankie~ 


	11. Tiptoe Through The Tulips or Enlightenin...

Author's Note:  
  
SunnyDay- I'm glad you stumbled upon my story and I'm glad you like it. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.  
  
Ascafeniel- I'm glad you like it.  
  
Bell- Glad you liked this chapter. hope you like the next one.  
  
The Elfin Child- Heh, I'm working on updating. It will probably be going on for quite a while as I've only gotten to page 54 on my hand written pages. so theres quite a bit left. hope you like it!  
  
Celine- Yup, you're picking up on the hints so far. hehe.  
  
Annie- That is the best compliment I have ever received. Thank you very much! *bows*  
  
Pumpkin Juice- Glad that I have another stumbler. heh. I'm glad you like it.  
  
Isis Stormwing- I was gonna have Dumbledore wearing green or purple but I felt like using Magenta. I guess its Rocky influence. Yes, Voldie is at the height of his powers or damn near it.  
  
SAKURAnTOKYO- I say everyone is silly. Yes, the "green room" and you'll just have to read how Lily takes it.  
  
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur- James' parents left it to him when they died. so when he graduated he moved in. He'd been living with his Uncle Frank. can you guess his last name? *Laughs*  
  
EmeraldDream- Heh, I'm glad Sirius entertains you because in a few chapter's James is going to want to harm him. heh. And that clairvoyant didn't get a chance to tell Voldie something very important, that she had been holding back in hopes of saving her life. good thing Voldie's an idiot. haha. sorry. Other then that things are still brewing in my head.  
  
Chapter Eleven: Tiptoe Through The Tulips or Enlightening Lily  
  
Lily sat cross legged on the rug in front of the fireplace in her room reading a book waiting for James to return, probably with Sirius Black who had unexpectedly turned up looking for James and called out loudly something that sounded like "Prongs." Lily had gone into the hallway looking annoyed and wondering why James hadn't told her to expect a guest. "Who are you?" Lily had called when Sirius came out of James' room looking slightly shocked.  
  
"Sirius Black and you would be?" Sirius asked recovering and using a charming manner that caused Lily to just raise an eyebrow at him. "Please tell me your name?" he asked kindly removing the charm just a tad.  
  
"Lily Evans, why are you here?" Lily asked calmly though she was still annoyed for being drawn out of her book.  
  
"James, I'm looking for him," Sirius said eagerly.  
  
"He's at Bella's," Lily said and it was the one thing that Sirius wasn't expecting.  
  
"Arabella Figg?" Sirius asked his eyes going slightly soft at her name and Lily felt sorry for him.  
  
"Yes," Lily said quietly, wanting for some strange reason to walk over and give him a hug and tell him that everything would be okay, but she didn't of course because she didn't know him at all, just snippets from Arabella about their relationship and enough from each of them to know they loved each other dearly.  
  
"Well, then I'll leave you be and go find James, though I will probably be returning for the night at least," Sirius said having recognized a woman's touch earlier in James' room and believed Lily to be the caretaker that James had been searching for. "You're the one who applied to James' ad right?" he asked before he turned to go.  
  
"Yes," Lily said and felt liked chuckling at Sirius' political correctness. "Which room would you be staying in?" she asked before he could turn.  
  
"Er, the one with the black and white motif," Sirius said and smiled at her as she mentally searched for the room which was just a door down from James'. "See you later then, Lily Evans," Sirius said and walked downstairs.  
  
Lily found it strange that she didn't hear the door open or close but decided to make sure that the room Sirius was staying in was taken care of. She set down her book on her desk and walked down the hallway to the room Sirius had described. One look and she knew it suited him. The bed was made from iron bars and was a four poster. The comforter was black with randomly done patterning on it in thin white lines. There was an ebony dresser and wardrobe combination near the closet door between it and a wide bay window. The side tables were done in ebony as well and on the right one was a silver picture frame that held a picture of Sirius and Arabella holding hands wearing identical robe-like uniforms, they were looking at the camera smiling brightly and looking as if they were waving. For a brief second Lily thought the picture had moved but she shook her head and went back to looking around. Across from the bed there was a sitting area with ebony framed chairs and off-white embroidered cushions to the sides of a large sofa in the same motif surrounding a large ebony coffee table; all resting on a large oriental style rug.  
  
Lily knew that the bathroom was through the door on the other side of the room and she walked over to it and looked inside all the while taking inventory on what needed to be cleaned or replaced. She walked out of the room and to the laundry to make sure that there were no towels or anything that needed to be cleaned for Sirius' room and then walked back and quickly freshened up the room opening a window to get fresh air into the room. She fluffed the pillows on the bed and decided to put some fresh flowers in the room.  
  
Lily walked downstairs and outside to look for a garden as a house like James Potter's should have a garden. She didn't find one. This exasperated Lily and she stood outside for a moment realizing that she was glad she had the choice to go back inside. She smiled and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and the sky was blue without a cloud in it. Suddenly Lily had the uncomfortable feeling of being watched and looked around quickly. There was a man standing at the end of the street looking in her direction. He was around her age, with dark hair and a bad air about him. He gave Lily a brief nod before he turned and walked down the street, long black robes sweeping behind him. Lily shuddered and walked back into the house.  
  
Just as she got into the door she heard James' voice calling from upstairs, "Lily? Where are you?!"  
  
Astonished Lily ran up the stairs and spotted James coming out of her room. "James? I was just outside I didn't see you get back," she said looking confused.  
  
"Er. I'll explain later, come with me," James said quickly as he grabbed her hand and led her into his room where three other people were standing patiently.  
  
"Arabella? Why are you and your grandfather here? What's going on James? This looked like an intervention," Lily said wondering at Dumbledore's strange attire.  
  
"Well, Lily, we have something very important to talk to you about, you might want to sit down," Dumbledore said stepping forward as he spoke.  
  
"So important that you came in pajamas?" Lily asked finding the sight before her fairly ridiculous.  
  
"They're not pajamas, they're robes and as a wizard I chose to wear them," Dumbledore said bluntly finding that the best way to make Lily aware of what she was was by shock value.  
  
"Right, a wizard. Do you think I'm that naïve? If this is some kind of practical joke just tell me," Lily said beginning to fall into denial that she didn't understand that stemmed from years of living with Petunia who denied any existence or possibility of anything magical or unusual.  
  
"Lily, it's not a practical joke, we are wizards, James, Sirius and myself and Arabella is a witch; they all went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where I am headmaster," Dumbledore said patiently.  
  
"Right, if Hogwarts is a school of witchcraft and wizardry then why were you asking me if I had heard of it?" Lily asked looking confused and angry at the same time.  
  
"Because you should have attended, but you never received you letter and because of that your powers never has a chance to relieve themselves and since that happened you have become a sort of time bomb. The longer you are untrained the more likely it is that you will explode, either killing yourself or someone else," Dumbledore explained seriously.  
  
"So you're saying I'm a witch?" Lily asked impatiently.  
  
"Yes, and you need to be trained immediately," Dumbledore said importantly.  
  
Lily shook her head, "You're all crazy," she said her voice becoming high pitched with panic and had the distinct impression that she was on fire.  
  
"Lily, listen to me, calm down," James said going over to her and holding her against him tightly when he felt that Dumbledore's line of persuasion wasn't working as the man had hoped. "Have you ever done something when you were angry or scared that you couldn't explain?" James asked flattening her hair against her head, feeling an extreme amount of heat radiating from her.  
  
Lily breathed deeply and closed her eyes trying to calm herself as she inhaled James' scent and thought about his words. She began to remember the night she'd gone to her sisters. She'd been staring beyond Vernon wishing everything was all a dream when the lamp on the table crashed onto the floor and she realized that she'd made it happen. "Yes, and more then once," Lily whispered realizing that shed didn't feel as if she was on fire any longer but as if she was swimming in a lake in the middle of nowhere.  
  
"You believe us now?" Sirius asked quietly as he watched his best friend and Lily still holding each other.  
  
"Yes. The night I found out my parents had died I went to my sisters and while I was wishing it was all a dream and was getting angry at everything a lamp across the room with no one near it crashed to the floor and shattered. It had been in the middle of the table, I had been staring at it, I made it break," Lily said quietly after pulling away from James somewhat reluctantly.  
  
"That's not uncommon, especially since you should have been at Hogwarts by then," Dumbledore said kindly to Lily.  
  
"What am I doing to do about this? I can't very well go to Hogwarts now," Lily aid starting to wonder why she hadn't gotten her letter in the first place.  
  
"James, Arabella, Sirius and a few mutual friends of theirs will teach you everything you need to know, and I'm sure James will understand if you forego laundry to work on this," Dumbledore said smiling at the two of them.  
  
Sirius chuckled, Arabella smacked Sirius, James muttered, "Just like the good ole days my arse," while Dumbledore smiled good naturedly at the show.  
  
"I have two questions. Why didn't I get my letter and who exactly are you because I'm fairly sure you're not Arabella's grandfather," Lily said quietly and two things that were bothering her the most.  
  
"Well the second question is easily answered. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the other is mostly guesswork," Dumbledore said before explaining. "There is one thing you must understand first, and that is that not all wizards are good. One wizard who goes by the name of Lord Voldemort is presently terrorizing the wizarding community as well as randomly killing muggles, non-wizards, like your family. He for some reason or another decided that you posed a threat to him and decided to keep you out of Hogwarts. Why he didn't kill you I have no idea, but I'm sure once he finds out you've been introduced to the wizarding world he will try to get to you, I'm sure of it," he said longwindedly that caused Lily to get pissed off again and James to unconsciously take her hand.  
  
Sirius raised his brow at this but at a look from Dumbledore refrained from commenting. "I have to go, I will leave you to contact Remus and Peter, if you must, but maybe it would be best for him to look after his grandmother and one of you to take up teaching Lily Herbology. If you need anything owl and I will get it to you as soon as possible. Oh, and take her into Diagon Alley tomorrow as I'm sure she'll want a wand," Dumbledore said before bidding them farewell and apparating.  
  
Lily jumped at Dumbledore's disappearance before saying, "That explains why I never heard a door close when one of you took off somewhere," and she laughed loudly and hysterically.  
  
"Shock, she should rest," Arabella said.  
  
James nodded said goodnight to Arabella and led a laughing Lily down the hall to her room. "C'mon, you should rest. We'll start working tomorrow when you've had time to think and accept what we've told you," James said gently nudging her towards the bed.  
  
"I feel like I'm dreaming James and I'm hoping that I'm not. Nothing unusual has ever happened to me, not once until I ran from Petunia's," Lily said rambling, her laughter had died off as she realized exactly what had been explained to her and that she was desperate for it all to be true.  
  
James only nodded and helped her climb into bed and kissed her forehead gently. "Go to sleep, it will all be okay in the morning," he said and Lily nodded and closed her eyes.  
  
Author's Note: FINALLY! Ha, I hope you guys are happy. I got Lily's finding out all down now. I hope you liked it. Please Review! ~Frankie~ 


	12. Beginnings

Authors' Note: Hey guys, sorry that I didn't get many chapters at all out this week. I've had a rather hectic week and I have been out late the past few nights and all I wanted to do was sleep. So I hope you enjoy it and I will try to get out another chapter soon! Please read & review! ~Frankie~  
  
Here are the Thank yous!  
  
SAKURAnTOKYO- Thanks, glad you liked it.  
  
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur- Longbottom. hehe. good guess. heh. I'm glad you like it!  
  
Scarlett Darling- Oh, thank you! I'm so glad my writing is able to draw my readers in that is the whole point. I want to make it feel like you're there either watching or participating or something! Thank you so much! One of the best comments I've gotten, I feel so happy!  
  
Bell- There is a purpose to that. I hope you realize what it is because if I say it it spoils the effect!  
  
Celine- I don't understand your question. Voldie suspecting about Peter? So confused! Thanks for the review!  
  
Pumpkin Juice- Thank you, I'm glad you think my story has potential. And I will be trying to drag out their romance as long as possible but I might have to shorten it based on the timeline of HP. Yes, I know, I figured it out. I don't have that bad of a memory! Thank you very much!  
  
Kristatwen- I'm trying! It will be out soon.  
  
Chapter Twelve: Beginnings  
  
James walked back to his room and found Sirius alone. "Drove her off already Sirius?" James asked.  
  
"She said she had to feed the cats," Sirius said pouting immaturely and crossing his arms across his chest.  
  
"She always says that and you always believe her. For cripes sake, tell her to still love her and be done with it Black!" James exclaimed shaking his head at Sirius and running a hand through his untidy hair absently.  
  
"Right and that's going to make her come back to me! Ha," Sirius said in a cynical tone of voice still pouting with his arms crossed.  
  
"It will if you're truthful and honest, or that's what I've learned from knowing women. They want the truth, straight up, no chaser," James said honestly and Sirius shook his head like James was crazy.  
  
"Whatever James," Sirius said and James thought he was in denial. "Where am I sleeping?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Where you usually sleep you nincompoop," James answered sarcastically.  
  
Sirius blew a raspberry at James and they both cracked up, James shaking his head at Sirius. "You want to go get food?" Sirius asked and smiled in his strange Sirius way.  
  
"You know I've never been able to cook Si, why do you think Lily is here in the first place, never mind, don't answer that," James said knowing Sirius' mind far too well for his own good and he shook his head. "We can go see if there is anything in the kitchen we can put together without burning the house down," James said and they headed down to the kitchen to scrounge.  
  
As they entered the kitchen from the main entry they saw Lily enter from the backstairs looking normal and fresh faced if just a little tired. "Hey guys, I was just about to make dinner," she smiled at them and walked over to the pantry pulling down a large box of noodles and a jar of spaghetti sauce from the shelf.  
  
"Are you okay?" James asked gently, walking towards Lily thinking she might have blocked out the earlier conversation.  
  
"Yeah, I'm just fine, I need a short nap," Lily said as she filled a large pot with water, set it on the stove and turned on the burner.  
  
"You remember everything that we said?" James asked even more gently and touched her shoulder delicately.  
  
"Yes, and I need to work and get out my energy," Lily said turning towards James slowly her face set with a false smile.  
  
"Don't pull that false shit with me Lily, I can see right through it. Tell me what's wrong?" James said grabbing her shoulders.  
  
"Okay, fine. I feel like I'm in a bloody nightmare. I'm recognizing that when I get angry or upset or scared I start feeling like I'm going to explode, or set something on fire. Earlier I feel like I was going to catch fire myself." Lily said trailing off and James could tell there was more she needed to say and loosened his grip slightly. Lily closed her eyes briefly before she continued, "Until you touched me, I felt like I was going to become one giant ball of fire," Lily said and looked up at James slowly.  
  
James wasn't surprised at this revelation remembering how warm Lily had felt when he was holding her. "Lily everything will be okay, once you get started you'll feel much better, I promise," James said running his hands up and down her upper arms.  
  
"When? When can I start?" Lily asked with a desperate tone to her voice and a plea in her green eyes.  
  
"When do you want to start?" James asked quietly probably the stupidest question of the moment.  
  
"Tonight, if possible," Lily said looking down briefly before looking back up at James.  
  
"Alright, but I'm fairly sure that none of us can work on an empty stomach, Sirius will complain until he gets food, so either I can make it and we watch the house burn down or you make it and we watching a miracle come into existence," James said and smiled at her.  
  
Lily shook her head and laughed, "It's my job to cook, besides we don't want this beautiful house to burn down now do we?" Lily said adamantly and turned from James to begin cooking.  
  
James looked over at where Sirius had been standing and finding him missing he said, "I'm going to go look for Sirius." After receiving Lily's brief nod he turned and went to find Sirius. He found him lying on the bed in his (Sirius') normal room staring at the ceiling. "Hey, are you okay?" James asked crossing the room to sit down next to his best friend.  
  
"Yeah, I just came to a realization about you," Sirius said quietly and seriously.  
  
"What's that Si?" James asked looking amused.  
  
"You and Lily will be very happy together," Sirius said and propped himself up on his elbow.  
  
"What do you mean? Together?" James asked wide-eyed and confused.  
  
"Well since you never really dated at Hogwarts I figured you were waiting for someone special, and along with that you barely ever touched a girl except Bella for 7 years and in one day I've seen you hug Lily and touch her in comfort," Sirius said looking at James meaningfully.  
  
"You can't be serious," James said trying to find the joke in Sirius' words.  
  
"Of course I'm Sirius, but that's not the point," Sirius said and grinned.  
  
"Then what is the point?" James asked looking flabbergasted.  
  
"Who said I had a point?" Sirius asked maniacally and laughed, secretly knowing that now James wouldn't stop thinking about what he'd said and all the possibilities that came along with those thoughts.  
  
James rolled his eyes and tried to keep from yelling excess amounts of profanity at him. "You're crazy Sirius," he muttered just as Lily called distantly that dinner was ready.  
  
Sirius grinned and bolted out o the room and down to the kitchen. When James got there Sirius was already sitting in front of a large plate of spaghetti covered in red sauce holding his fork waiting eagerly for James to sit down. "Hurry up James! She's making me wait till you sit down!" Sirius exclaimed and James laughed at Sirius opening before sitting down across the table from Lily who was smiling happily as she watched Sirius scarf down his first bite, close his eyes and mumble something that sounded like, "The best thing I've eaten since Hogwarts."  
  
James smiled over at Lily and said, "You definitely have Sirius' blessing," and he took his own first bite.  
  
"You're welcome," Lily said smiling and the meal carried on with jokes and laughs.  
  
They sat around joking pleasantly until Lily said, "I don't mean to rush people but I would really like to start learning how to control my, er, powers, I'd guess you'd call it," and she looked eager as well as nervous.  
  
Sirius nodded and said, "Okay, I will go owl Moony and you and James can get started," he turned to James and winked humorously as he got up and left the room before James could object.  
  
James shook his head and picked up his and Sirius' plate and to put them in the sink. "That's my job James," Lily said quietly.  
  
"Hush you, I feel like being a gentleman, and if I do it by magic we can get down to business," James replied putting the plates and such into the sink and charming them with his wand as Lily looked on with wide-eyed amazement. "The charm will scrub them clean and then dissipate," he said and smiled at her. "C'mon, I have to get my old books out of the library," James said taking Lily's hand gently in his and leading her through the house to the vast library. "Hmm, let's see where did I put them?" James asked himself when he got to the doors. He thought for a moment and then wandered across the room to a shelf. "Wonderful," James said and pulled a number of books off the shelf. "You'll need all of them at some point but you'll only need these for now," James said setting 8 well worn books onto the nearest table with the following titles:  
  
Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk  
  
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot  
  
Magical Theory by Aldalbert Waffling.  
  
A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch  
  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore  
  
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger  
  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander  
  
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble  
  
"Most of them are just reading but a few are practical and we'll have to get you a wand before we can start those. So, I'll let you flip through them and read up on what you'll be doing. And we'll start the practical aspects of things tomorrow, after we go to Diagon Alley," James said picking up the books and leading Lily upstairs to her room. He set the books down on her desk and made to leave.  
  
"Is something wrong James?" Lily asked before he could take two steps.  
  
"Ah, well, Si said something and it's been bothering me," James said quietly.  
  
"What did he say?" Lily asked curiously.  
  
"Oh, er, nothing important. I'll let you get started on those books and see you in the morning," James said and practically ran out of the room before Lily could even thank him. Lily shook her head and hoped James would be okay and picked up "A History of Magic" and climbed into bed after changing into pajamas.  
  
Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, Please review! ~Frankie~ 


	13. A Little Bit Of Chemistry

Author's Note: Hey guys this one is real short, hope you forgive me, I should get another one out tonight before Crossing Jordan. You guys are wonderful! Thank you! Wow, I tear up when I get all these great reviews! Thank you so much! So here are some more thank yous:  
  
Bell- I'm trying to make Sirius very likeable.. I do believe that it is working. So thank you for the review! Sorry for leaving you hanging for so long.  
  
Everblue3- Thank you, I'm glad you like how I'm doing things. It's a great comfort to me that people are actually enjoying this story that's why at present I am skipping out on my homework. whoops.  
  
The Elfin Child- I hope you have fun in Hawaii and I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
  
Annie- The chapters are fairly short because I don't want people to get overwhelmed with the details and I want them to take in everything they possibly can. I'm glad you're enjoying it despite the shortness of chapters though. so I hope you like this one!  
  
Pumpkin Juice- Don't worry I won't leave you frustrated with what's going on between Sirius and Bella. I plan to work them into this quite a bit as soon as Sirius realizes that James isn't as crazy as he seems. I'm glad you like the side story.  
  
Celine- I hope you like Remus, I think I've tried to make him the sane one of the bunch. Thank you for the review!  
  
Chapter Thirteen: A Little Bit Of Chemistry  
  
James practically stormed into Sirius' room to find him playing wizarding chess with himself. "Did you kiss her yet?" Sirius asked as he moved a piece strategically and said, "Check."  
  
"No you psychotic, annoying, crazy old fool," James said flustered and then asked, "Why are you playing chess with yourself?" looking confused.  
  
"Remus will probably want to play so I'm practicing," Sirius said and grinned.  
  
"In 7 years at Hogwarts you never beat Remus," James said and laughed.  
  
"I did too!" Sirius protested childishly.  
  
"Only because you cheated," James said lightly.  
  
"THP!" Sirius stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at James before making another move.  
  
"You are such a child," James said and laughed again.  
  
"Yes, and your point would be?" Sirius asked as he won the game against himself with his white pieces.  
  
"Who said I had one?" James asked and laughed some more bidding Sirius goodnight after telling him about the trip to Diagon Alley the next day.  
  
James meandered into his bedroom and took off all his clothes but his boxers and climbed into bed after shutting off the lights. He lay there staring at the ceiling thinking about was Sirius had said as he wasn't able to sleep. An hour passed and he was still awake, soon two pass and he began to get annoyed and contemplated cutting out Sirius' tongue with a spoon before he heard noises coming from down the hall. Thinking in was Sirius being a fool he headed out to tell him to quiet down and that people were trying to sleep but he quickly realized the noise came from Lily's room and slightly ajar door.  
  
James ran down the hallway just as Lily screamed in her sleep and he entered the room to find her curled into a ball shaking violently. "Lily! Lily, wake up it's just a dream," James said and pulled her towards him, holding her tightly and whispering quietly to her. Lily's arms wrapped themselves around James and held him tightly as she calmed down drastically and wouldn't let go. James kept whispering to her and slowly fell asleep himself, still holding Lily gently, Lily still clinging to James.  
  
Author's Note: Sorry it was extremely short there's another one coming! Please review! 


	14. A Release of Tension

Author's Note: Hey, I have another chapter. though I did neglect homework because I didn't know what the heck I was going to write for Journalism, but yeah. So you've got another chapter, and I think it's a little bit longer. So I hope you like it. And the thank yous:  
  
Everblue3- Heh, guess what happens in this one. a little change occurs. I hope you like it!  
  
Oh and here's a disclaimer since I haven't done one for a while. I own nothing you recognize! It's all J.K. Rowling's, so please don't sue me and please don't flame me!  
  
~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Fourteen: A Release of Tension  
  
The next morning James was coming to consciousness and was finding that he didn't want to wake up at all. This was unusual for James who always enjoyed the start of a new day. Wary James opened his eyes slowly and found himself in a very interesting situation. He was holding Lily on her bed, wearing only boxers. He slowly remembered Lily's nightmare and sighed in relief. He began to try and untangle himself from Lily's arms even though he didn't want to. It took him 10 minutes but he got out of bed without waking Lily who slept on peacefully.  
  
James jumped into the shower quickly even though would have liked to smell like Lily all day, Sirius would probably pick up on it and ask never-ending and awkward questions, blowing any possible chance Lily would ever go to a nice dinner with him. "Whoa! Where did that come from?" James asked himself aloud. *A/N: My mind you crazy child, now stop interrupting and play nice!* James shook off his thoughts of wanting to date Lily and finished his shower.  
  
~Back in Lily's Room~  
  
Two seconds after James had stepped out of the room Lily's eyes popped open. "That had to be the strangest dream I've ever had," she said thinking that 'dreaming' of James holding her gently was weird. The more she thought about it she wasn't sure if it was just a dream. Her pillows and blankets smelled like him and her bed was warm where it shouldn't have been. Lily shook off the feeling, climbed out of bed and took a shower quickly just barely beating James to the kitchen.  
  
"How do you do that?" James asked extremely surprised to find Lily showered, dressed and already in the kitchen.  
  
"I wake up when I feel like I need to, other then that I have no idea," Lily said and smiled at James causing him to inhale sharply as he noticed he was slightly - er - excited.  
  
"Really?' James asked not really sure was to say before he gained function of his brain again and asked, "Do you need help with anything?"  
  
"Not really, but you could go wake Sirius," Lily said as she pulled a skillet from a shelf.  
  
"Alright," James said and went upstairs to murder - er - wake Sirius. He entered the room to find Sirius spread eagle on passed out on the bed. "Wake up you loud mouthed buffoon before I murder you," James said loudly.  
  
"Huh?" Sirius mumbled his eyes opening just a crack.  
  
"Wake up before I kill you Sirius," James said his voice sounding just mildly annoyed.  
  
"Why would you want to kill me?" Sirius asked before yawning loudly and stretching.  
  
"For putting these thoughts in my head you annoying bastard," James said, his chocolate brown eyes glinting in a rather red hue behind his glasses.  
  
"What thoughts would those be?" Sirius said grinning maniacally.  
  
"The one's that kept me up last night you bloody ass," James said fingering his wand in his pocket.  
  
"I'm just trying to give you a push in the right direction," Sirius said and grinned propping himself up on his elbow.  
  
"She's 17!" James said in a high pitched and frustrated voice.  
  
"For two months James, after that it doesn't matter," Sirius said persuasively and winked meaningfully at him.  
  
"Black, I'm going to kill you for getting these thoughts into my head," James said in an annoyed voice.  
  
"What you have no self control? Besides, you have to get her to fall for you before you can court her," Sirius said and grinned when James grabbed his hair in frustration.  
  
"Get dressed, Lily is cooking breakfast. It should be ready soon," James said and left Sirius' room heading down to the kitchen.  
  
"You get Sirius up?" Lily asked hearing James' footsteps coming into the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah," he said and muttered quietly, "But I wish I'd have murdered him in his sleep."  
  
Lily turned towards James quickly, "What?" she asked her eyes wide.  
  
"Huh? Oh a fleeting thought I've had for years, no seriousness to it really," James said truthfully.  
  
"What did he do?" Lily asked as she flipped an omelet onto a plate and set it on the table. "Eat as you explain," she said at his look.  
  
James looked up at Lily, her red hair catching the rays of morning sunlight; her green eyes were warm and bright with what James assumed was happiness, or belonging. "He's trying to set you and me up," James replied bluntly and watched Lily blink.  
  
"What?" Lily asked.  
  
"He wants me to court you," James said again bluntly.  
  
Lily shook her head, "That's crazy," she said quietly not sure why that caused a strange flutter to jump into her stomach.  
  
"My opinion exactly," James said strongly.  
  
Lily looked up and James saw a somewhat familiar glint in her eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked him and he unconsciously swallowed as if he was circling a bull in a rodeo.  
  
"Well, you're 17 and it's not really legal," James said a slight tremor coming to his voice.  
  
"So if I was 18 you would court me?" Lily asked curiously.  
  
"I - uh - I don't know," James lied through his teeth.  
  
Lily glared at him, "What is it that makes me so unappealing to you James Potter?" she asked angrily.  
  
"I didn't say no!" James protested passionately.  
  
"And you didn't say yes either," Lily said her eyes seeming to glow slightly red.  
  
"You're 17!" James exclaimed again.  
  
"That's not the bloody point!" Lily said stepping towards him so that he stood up to face her.  
  
"Then what is the point Lily?" James asked looking down at her, his own eyes flashing.  
  
"I want to know if you find me attractive!" Lily exclaimed fairly loudly standing on her toes to look evenly into his eyes.  
  
James stood there feeling Lily's breath warm on his face and he lost his self control. He pulled her closer to him and crushed his mouth to hers. James watched her eyes widen with shock as all the blood ran out of his brain and into other parts of his body. He pulled away, still holding her and asked slightly breathless, "Does that answer your question?"  
  
"Yes," Lily managed to say and James let her go gently.  
  
"I'll be upstairs, let me know when you're ready to go," James said quietly his self control returning slowly and he turned to walk from the room.  
  
Lily stood shocked and motionless in the kitchen and just barely remembered to finish cooking Sirius' breakfast. Sirius entered moments later and asked, "What's wrong with James?"  
  
"It's your fault!" Lily exclaimed remembering what James had told her of Sirius' plotting.  
  
"What's my fault?" Sirius asked perplexed.  
  
"It's your fault that James is moody. Now eat," Lily said shoving a ham and cheese omelet on to the table and rushing out of the room. She bolted up the stairs and was just about to knock when James called, "Come in Lily."  
  
Lily walked in and asked, "How'd you know it was me?"  
  
"I just did, and Sirius wouldn't have paused as he got to the door but just barged right in," James said from the chair by the fire.  
  
"I'm sorry," Lily said quietly not able to see James' entire face.  
  
"You're sorry for me kissing you?" James asked sarcastically turning to face her.  
  
"No, uh, for pushing you. What I asked was entirely unfair as I barely know you. I just feel close to you and I can't explain it," Lily said looking down at the floor unable to meet James' eyes.  
  
"As do I, and the question wasn't unfair as I imagine you haven't had many compliments in the past few years," James said quietly walking over to Lily.  
  
"Not really, mostly put downs," Lily muttered barely meeting James' glance.  
  
"Then your sister but not have much sense," James said and Lily's head snapped up to look at him. "You're beautiful Lily, and it was one of the first things that I noticed about you. If you were slightly older I would have taken you out as soon as I knew your name, and that's the honest truth," James said quietly before looking into Lily's eyes again.  
  
"That's the nicest think anyone has said to me," Lily said quietly.  
  
"Come over here," James said as he stood there, holding out his hand to her.  
  
"Okay," Lily said tentatively taking his hand.  
  
James pulled her to him and said, "I want to dance with you," and he held her a little away from him. "You're beautiful and I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," James said referring to their kiss.  
  
"You didn't and the only reason I acted like I did was shock," Lily said as he spun her out and back in causing her to laugh. "Where did you learn to dance?" she asked as all the tension between them disappeared.  
  
Author's Note: I hope you liked it! Please, please review! I am having some misgivings about this chapter! Whether it's too soon for there to have them kiss or whatever! Please tell me if it's okay! ~Frankie~ 


	15. A Trip to Diagon Alley and Unexpected

Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry this took so long. I have been really busy. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a little short but there are some important hints in here and I'm wondering if you guys are going to pick up on them. Good luck! Please Read & Review!  
  
Thank you to my wonderful readers:  
  
Bell- Yes it is nice to fall asleep with someone. sadly, I don't have anyone to fall asleep with. Wait, Teegs just offered. that might be interesting. but yeah. Thank you for the review!  
  
Annie- Thanks. you know you posted your second review twice?  
  
Katie Bell- James doesn't want to until she's 18, though I'm using American ages for legality. besides that James is a "gentleman". *snorts*.  
  
Bell- again. thank you for the input about the kiss.  
  
Everblue3- Don't worry, sappiness is not going to be between James and Lily for a little bit. there will be some sappiness but hopefully not too much. I hope you enjoy it, thank you for the input on the age thing. And Sirius is always to blame isn't he?  
  
Celine- Heh, I'm glad you liked the Sirius/James interaction. I thought it would be cute. So I hope you like the coming chapters.  
  
Liat86- It's okay about the updating thing. I know how it goes and I still say update soon. I hope that your James turns out better because at the moment he's a butthead. but yeah. Not the topic. Thank you for your review!  
  
The Elfin Child- Thank you, you cheer me up. I love your reviewing antics & Sirius of course! Heh. I have a question, are you Christian? I'm kinda assuming so based on your email. but I don't like to assume, so yeah.  
  
MegHarts- Mebe, mebe not. Heh, I love reviews! They cheer me up so much!  
  
Mionie Weasley- Thank you, I'm glad you like it. I'm working on the continuing thing. As for advice I would say to write down what ever ideas you have as soon as possible, on a napkin or even on your hand, just get the gist of it down. Write whatever you feel you want to, as long as you enjoy writing it you will go far!  
  
Kristinerz77- Okay, *coughs* White blond hair *coughs* That is the only thing I will say because it was said in the story. and about Lily's age to me means within 4 years either way. mostly to the plus side though. If that helps you any. Thank you for the review! I'm really glad you like it!  
  
Pumpkin Juice- Thank you, I wasn't sure if it would work out. I wanted to give a little bit more to their personalities and such so you knew they were both attracted to each other. I am glad you like it.  
  
Bell- Thank you for your support. I hope to get out the next chapter soon. hopefully this incident won't keep me from writing too long. hopefully none at all.  
  
Caryn- I hope to work things out but at this point there's little hope for it. We basically threw barbs at each other and hit our most vulnerable points. I guess that's what happens when you fight with a good friend huh? I hope you liked the story as you didn't say anything about it.  
  
Fay Stone- Thank you! If you're reading this then the chapter is right below it. heh. I'm trying not to let this affect me too much. I feel much better today. (Wednesday)  
  
Sugarquill- Thank you, I'm glad you like it and think it's unique.  
  
Lembas Productions- When I wrote the dance scene it was because I couldn't figure out a transition from the tenseness to - er - the next bit. I might rewrite it and stick a similar little dancing thing somewhere else. I basically wanted to have James display is desire to be near her. So that was the point though it was probably the worst written bit in the whole story. Thank you for your review! & the support! I greatly appreciate both!  
  
SAKURAnTOKYO- I'm trying to get time to type but I just haven't had it. The funny thing is I'm happier now then I was when me and the person I'm fighting with were friends. That's strange.  
  
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur- I'm glad you still love it. Thanks so much for the support! I'm trying to get things typed but also have a social life and such, because my friends make everything all better and a lot of them want to kick the guys' ass. Heh.  
  
Oooh! Oooh! I made 100 reviews!!! So excited! I love you guys so much! Thank you!  
  
Kristatwen- Thank you, I'm really glad you like the story. Thank you for the support!  
  
And now for the story!! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Fifteen: A Trip to Diagon Alley and Unexpected Confrontations  
  
They went to Diagon Alley about 20 minutes later with Sirius who was bouncing around like a hyper active child. They flooed to The Leaky Cauldron and Lily was in awe at all of the witches and wizards that were dressed in robes of many colors and varieties. "This is amazing James!" Lily exclaimed quietly as they walked along the alley.  
  
"Yeah, it is isn't it?" James asked trying to see Diagon Alley as Lily was seeing it for the first time. "We should get your wand first," he said and they headed to Olivander's shop first so Lily could get her wand.  
  
As they walked in Mr. Olivander stepped out from the many shelves covered in dust and said, "I wondered when you would get here Ms. Evans, but you're quite a bit late," Lily's eyes widened at the fact that this strange man with the silvery eyes knew her name.  
  
"Good afternoon Mr. Olivander," James said and stuck his hands in his pockets nervously.  
  
"Good afternoon Mr. Potter. Mahogany, 11 inches good for Transfiguration," Mr. Olivander said and turned to Sirius. "And Mr. Black, ebony I believe, dragon heartstring, 12 inches," he said and Sirius nodded, just as nervous as James. Olivander seemed to creep everyone out, not just the first time you saw him either.  
  
"Hmm, now let's see," Olivander said and went to a shelf and picked a black box from it, opened it, and handed Lily the wand inside. "Well give it a wave," he said and Lily automatically moved it not more then a fraction of an inch before it blew a spindling little chair apart.  
  
"No that's not right," Olivander protested and snatched the wand away before giving Lily another which caused a file cabinet to throw all its papers violently into the air. Lily was getting scared at this point and it got worse as Olivander kept giving her wand after wand growing more and more excited as something blew up, exploded or shot violently across the room. Finally Olivander handed her a wand and said, "Willow, 10 ¼ inches, swishy, good for Charms." Suddenly Lily felt warmth spread inside her and extend from her chest out to her fingers and toes as reddish orange and emerald green stars exploded from the end of the wand and Olivander shouted with glee. "Well done Ms. Evans, very well done," he said and even James and Sirius were clapping.  
  
James paid for the wand because Lily only had muggle money. "Thank you James," Lily said and James waved it off his ears going slightly pink and mumbled something no one understood.  
  
They wandered around Diagon Alley and Sirius asked, "Quidditch?" and he looked at James with a sly glance.  
  
"We're here for Lily Si, not Quidditch supplies," James said even though he'd thought about it himself.  
  
"But Lily needs to know about Quidditch too James," Sirius said quietly catching Lily's attention purposefully.  
  
"What's Quidditch?" Lily asked them and Sirius grinned widely as James was now obligated to explain to Lily and most likely would bring them to Quality Quidditch Supplies.  
  
James shook his head, "It's our sport," he said and sighed, "Okay we'll go to Quality Quidditch Supplies," he said and Sirius shouted loudly in triumph and skipped ahead of them down the street.  
  
Lily laughed delightfully at Sirius and James shook his head. "He's gonna take a while, do you wanna get some ice cream while I tell you about Quidditch?" James asked gesturing to Florean Fortescues Ice Cream Parlor.  
  
"Sure," Lily sad and joined hands with James as they walked down the crowded street.  
  
A man, who looked to be James' age, perhaps a few years older, served them greeting James by first name. "Hello James, who is this lovely lady?" he asked, his off color teeth apparent with his smile.  
  
"This is Lily Evans," James said smiling at Lily in such a way that the young man knew he would have to get through James to have any chance at all.  
  
"Where did she go to school? I'm sure I would have remembered those eyes if she'd gone to Hogwarts," Mundungus Fletcher said in a flirtatious manner disregarding his first impression.  
  
"She went to Salem Witches Institute, Mundungus," James lied brilliantly.  
  
"Ah, an American, how is the country?" Fletcher asked pleasantly directing the question at Lily.  
  
"Beautiful," Lily said quietly, "But not nearly as wonderful as England," she said truthfully.  
  
"Really? Well, here's your ice cream, come back soon, both of you," Fletcher said and they walked out of the shop to sit outside at a small table.  
  
James pulled out Lily's chair for her and sat across the table to begin his explanation of Quidditch. "Well-," he started but was interrupted when a shadow fell across the table. Lily looked up and saw a white blonde haired young man with cold blue eyes who looked like the rude man who threw the paper at her as well as a dark haired man with a hooked nose and cold black eyes. James stood up abruptly. "What do you want Snape, Malfoy?" he asked coldly and the tone of his voice sent a shudder down Lily's spine.  
  
"To know who the girl is Potter," Snape said and looked appraisingly at Lily.  
  
"My name is Lily Evans," Lily said and looked at them with an indifferent glance and took a bite of her ice cream.  
  
Malfoy and Snape exchanged glances wondering where they had heard that name before. "You look familiar, do I know you?" Malfoy asked importantly, trying to wheedle more from her.  
  
"I doubt it," Lily said and looked over at James. "Maybe we should go find Sirius," she said and stood up.  
  
James nodded and took Lily's hand in his and began to lead her away from the table when Snape grabbed Lily's wrist. "Wait a moment," Snape said icily.  
  
"Let go of my arm sir," Lily said and whirled around and faced Snape, her eyes flashing violently. "Have you no manners?" she asked when he hadn't released her. "Weren't you taught not to touch a woman who doesn't invite it?" she asked angrily and Snape unconsciously stepped backwards and let go of her arm. "Thank you and good day," Lily said and walked away with James who glanced back and grinned at the two shocked looking men.  
  
"That was very interesting." James said with an amused voice.  
  
"Explain who the hell those two goons were when we find Sirius," Lily said still fuming angrily and stomping down the street.  
  
"No need, he found us," James said pointing ahead where Sirius was looking around standing on his tip toes scanning the face of every passerby.  
  
"There you guys are," Sirius said when he spotted them, "I had this strange feeling like you wanted to get the hell out of here and that Lily was decidedly pissed off. What's going on?" he asked when he got near to them.  
  
"Malfoy and Snape, Lily snapped at them," James said happily practically skipping down the street looking like he was going to burst into song at any moment.  
  
"Explain who they are why they left such a bad taste in my mouth," Lily said still bristling slightly but she was calming down rapidly. (A/N: Just like a red head, hot temper).  
  
"Lucious Malfoy and Severus Snape," Sirius said and gagged himself with his finger as a grimace covered his face. "They are the slimiest Slytherins to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts, except maybe Voldemort. They were the recipients of many of our pranks in our Hogwarts days," Sirius explained quietly.  
  
"What did they want with me?" Lily asked in a disgusted tone of voice.  
  
"Well, to put it bluntly, you're gorgeous and they probably wanted to hit on you," Sirius said and scrunched up his nose like a bad smell had passed nearby.  
  
"Eww, can we get out of here if there is no other reason for us to be here?" I really have to desire to see those two again," Lily said even though she felt strange concerning Snape in particular. James and Sirius nodded in agreement and went to The Leaky Cauldron to floo back to James' house.  
  
Authors Note: Sorry it took so long. I will try to get another chapter out this weekend but there are no guarantees as Friday is prom and Saturday will be recovery day. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review! BTW: My friend and I are talking again. I think we still have to sort things out but its okay. I'm the one who initiated the conversation. ~Frankie~ 


	16. A New Teacher and Astonishing Discoverie...

Author's Note: Oh my, I'm so sorry I haven't updated. I was sick the weekend of prom and I was completely out of it. I forgot everything. Here are some reviews that should have been included in the last chapter, and if you didn't read Chapter 15 you might want to because it's not an author's note anymore.  
  
Thank yous go to:  
  
Lisa- Thank you, I'm glad you like my story, I feel honored that I have been added to your favorites list. *Smiles really big* I hope you like how things are going.  
  
Lily Rose Evans- Thank you, I really appreciate your review! Me and my friend are okay now.  
  
EmeraldDream- Thank you, I'm glad you like how I'm making them interact, I wasn't sure if it was going to be good.  
  
Bell- Gosh, thanks for reviewing, or even checking. I pretty much spaced on updating after being sick, which I still am, and so I'm really glad you're continuing to read. Your latest review reminded me that I was being such a space. So this chapter here is dedicated to you hun, and your reminding me of my duty to all the readers out there.  
  
So, now here is the story!! Please read and review!! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Sixteen: A New Teacher and Astonishing Discoveries  
  
When they got back to James' house there was a young man the same age as James and Sirius sitting in a chair by the fire. He had sandy blonde hair, pale gray eyes and looked as if he'd recently been ill. "Remus! You're here!" Sirius said and practically jumped on the man enveloping him in a bear hug.  
  
"Yes, I'm here Pad-Sirius," Remus said correcting himself once he spotted Lily. "Hello, I'm Remus Lupin, you must be Lily Evans," he stuck out his hand for Lily to shake and smiled kindly at her.  
  
"Hello, it's nice to meet you," Lily said taking Remus' hand gently and smiling back at him.  
  
"And you as well, though I have to say, you have the most beautiful eyes that I think I've ever seen," Remus said giving Lily a slightly cheeky grin. Lily blushed and muttered a thank you.  
  
"Remus, it's good to see you!" James said sending him a look that caused Remus to tilt his head questioningly.  
  
"I'm sorry if I was being to forward Lily," Remus said and Lily smacked James.  
  
"He was just being nice and you don't own me Potter," Lily said her eyes flashing at him in an annoyed manner.  
  
James groaned at the fact that Lily could read into him, "Okay, fine, I'm sorry," he said shaking his head and Lily's expression cleared, replaced by a cheerful smile.  
  
"So, I'm guessing you're going to be one of my teachers," Lily said looking at Remus.  
  
"Yes, Defense Against the Dark Arts is my specialty," Remus said and his stomach growled at him demanding food.  
  
"You're hungry?" Lily asked and Remus shrugged indiscriminately. "Well it's about time for lunch. I'll let you three catch up and call you when lunch is ready," she said smiling before walking out of the room.  
  
When Lily was gone Remus turned and said, "Okay, two questions. First, why is she cooking? And second, why did I feel like I was meeting an old friend when I haven't met her before?" he asked scratching his head questioningly.  
  
"Well, I hired her thinking she was a witch to be a caretaker for this house and for me and other then Lily was supposed to go to Hogwarts, I have no idea. We've all felt like you have; Sirius, Bella and I," James explained quickly.  
  
"Weird, now explain why she didn't go to Hogwarts? Sirius didn't explain that just said, 'We've taken in an untrained witch under our wing, we need your help, come soon," Remus said reading off a slip of paper that was Sirius' letter.  
  
"As far as Dumbledore knows its Voldemort, as for the psycho's reasoning, he has no idea," James said and shrugged helplessly.  
  
"Why did Voldemort pick her?" Remus asked and his eyebrow rose in question.  
  
"Dumbledore thinks it has something to do with that well known clairvoyant that was found murdered 7 years ago in Diagon Alley," Sirius said seeming just as confused as both of them.  
  
Remus thought for a moment, scratching his head. "Maybe the reason that we feel connected to Lily is because if she had gone to Hogwarts we would have been her friends and something between her and one of us would have threatened Voldemort," he thought out loud. "Nah, that sounds too far out," he muttered even though all three of them felt there was at least some truth to the statement.  
  
Soon there after they heard Lily call from downstairs that lunch was ready and they head down to the kitchen where Lily had prepared a large amount of turkey, bacon, and lettuce and tomato sandwiches without tomato on Remus' plate. "How did you know I don't like tomatoes?" he asked as he sat down across from Sirius looking at everyone else's sandwiches.  
  
Lily shrugged, "You don't seem like the tomato type I guess," she said and sat down across from James next to Remus.  
  
The meal progressed with idle chat as they got to know each other and Sirius told amusing stories about their explorations of Hogwarts' Castle. About halfway through Lily blurted out an interesting question. "When would I have received my Hogwarts letter?"  
  
"About halfway through July, why?" Remus asked as Lily's eyes widened considerably.  
  
"I'll be right back," she said and tore up the backstairs to her room and returned moments later with a well worn leather-bound book.  
  
"What's that?" Sirius asked before he put the last of his last sandwich into his mouth.  
  
"One of my journals," she replied as she idly flipped through pages before coming to the one she was searching for. As she read it to herself she looked rather frightened.  
  
"What's wrong?" James asked prepared to move around the table to her side.  
  
"Listen to this," Lily said and read a section of her journal to them.  
  
"Diary,  
  
It's near four in the morning and I can't sleep. I have this strange feeling that something amazing is going to happen today and I'm wondering why. It's July 11th and I don't know why I feel so anticipatory. I wonder what's going to happen or if it's my overly active imagination that Petunia keeps criticizing me for.  
  
I just looked out the window and there is a strange man standing near Mr. Henderson's driveway watching my house. I don't know if he saw me, but he gives me the creeps. I just glanced out again and an owl just flew up to him and he took a piece of paper from its talons and he burned it, whatever it is, and I feel rather sad about it. He's gone now and I hope he doesn't come back. I wonder what that paper said, and I wonder why I feel so disappointed." She finished and looked up at them. "He burned my letter didn't he?" she asked quietly.  
  
"It's a good chance that that was Voldemort. Did you write what he looked like?" James asked gently.  
  
"No, but I remember. He was wearing a black cloak, like something out of The Lord of the Rings, over black clothes. He had black hair and cold, mean looking features," Lily said and shuddered unconsciously. "Soon after that the dreams started," Lily said.  
  
"Dreams? What dreams?" Sirius asked quietly.  
  
"I had dreams every so often about a castle that felt like home to me, where I had friends and when I began living with Petunia they were nightly. I never saw faces really, just impressions," she said and watched the guys exchange glances. "What?" Lily asked looking rather confused.  
  
Remus spoke up, "Well it seems kind of far fetched but what if you were dreaming about how your life would have been if you had gone to Hogwarts?" he said questioningly.  
  
"It's possible because they were all about witches and wizards," Lily said quietly.  
  
"Weird," Sirius said and scratched his head as if thinking.  
  
"Very," James agreed. "Do you remember much of them?" he asked.  
  
"I remember the first one vividly. A long train ride, a lake and a lot of small wooden boats. A beautiful castle and inside there was a huge hall where there were many people seated at four tables below a fifth one and candles where floating above them. And a hat, talking to me, telling me things about myself that I didn't feel nor really believe. I sat at a table near a group of rowdy boys who were only a little older then I and they laughed and plotted something about tutus," Lily said and smiled at the dream-memory as if she was sitting right with those boys in her real life.  
  
"Oh my," Sirius muttered his eyes wide, "Our first prank of second year was putting Malfoy and Snape in muggle tutus for breakfast," he said looking up at Remus and James whose eyes also widened considerably.  
  
"That's insane, crazy," Lily said beginning to feel overwhelmed. "I. I need to rest, please excuse me," she said grabbing her journal and going up the backstairs to her room where she lay on the bed staring up at the ceiling crying softly as what should have been memories but were only dreams of a better life.  
  
Author's Note: I hope you guys liked this chapter and such. I don't think I changed much from the original draft. Next Chapter: Lily's First Lessons I believe. So, please read and review! ~Frankie~ 


	17. Foreboding: A Kodak Moment

Author's Note: Hey guys. I am so sorry for not updating. I am such a spaced out teenager these days! Here are my thank yous.  
  
The Elfin Child- Hey, I can't remember why I asked if you were a Christian. gosh it's been far too long since I updated! You are insane you realize. but that's okay.  
  
Bell- Yet again you are my reminder. and saving grace. I've been trying to get out another chapter for a while. I can't believe I keep spacing on it. Thanks for the Cherry. lol!  
  
Everblue3- Hey, thank you for the suggestion; that actually sounds like a good idea. I think that I have been far too focused on the fluff part of this story so now I have to rewrite something's and keep it from getting to corny. though this chapter does contain large amounts of fluff. Thank you for sticking with my story.  
  
Céline- You're good at this. I'm going to have to think of something to stump you. I'm sorry I keep forgetting to post chapters more frequently.  
  
Lisa- I'm glad you like the story. I'm sorry that you think it's sad, well it is in reality but meh. I'll try to bring in some more joyous feelings for you.  
  
MegHarts- Hey, I'm glad you think it's entertaining... and awesome. Yay! I hope you like this next chapter.  
  
Alright guys, here's the next chapter. There is a bit of fluff. and I hope it's not too corny for those who don't like fluff so much. So on with the story. ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Seventeen: Foreboding: A Kodak Moment  
  
James, Sirius and Remus sat at the table stunned at Lily's knowledge. "None of us to her anything about that prank, even with Sirius' reminiscing stories," James said quietly.  
  
"Well it explains why we feel connected doesn't it?" Remus asked, "She was supposed to be our friend, probably one of our girlfriends. She was robbed of that, as were we, by Voldemort," Remus seemed angry as he spoke the last words.  
  
"It's just not right how he can destroy and change lives like this. Someone needs to stop him," Sirius said standing and beginning to pace the room angrily.  
  
"Someone will stop him, or at least delay him, I can feel it," James said quietly and sighed.  
  
"The sooner the better," Sirius said and Remus nodded in agreement.  
  
"I'm going to go make sure Lily is okay," James said and followed Lily's footsteps up the backstairs. He knocked on the door and heard Lily call him in. "Are you okay?" James asked as he sat down on the bed near her.  
  
"I don't know, I really don't," Lily said wiping tears from her eyes. "I have problems James. I am still mourning for my parents and now I'm mourning for this amazing life I could have had without as much grief from Petunia. In fact in my dreams I never lived with her, not one single day in my life after she got married. I stayed summers with friends, I think mostly Arabella, but none of it happened!" she said and rolled over to hide her face in a pillow.  
  
James lay down next to her, "Lils, it's okay, everything is okay now," he whispered holding her gently in his arms.  
  
"It might be okay, but it's not the same," Lily said quietly as she inhaled the scent of him, a mix of sandalwood and patchouli.  
  
"Don't worry about it; it will all turn out as it's supposed to. Fate is correcting things Lily and its all going to turn out as it should," James said before pressing his lips gently on the top of her head.  
  
"What if it doesn't?" Lily asked looking up from where she'd buried her head in his firm chest.  
  
"It will, trust me," James said looking into Lily's tear filled eyes feeling spellbound, wanting to kiss her again and make them both breathless with it.  
  
Lily was watching his eyes and moved her head forward to delicately kiss James but he spoke before she could. "Why do you torture me Lily?" he asked with his lips a breath away from hers his eyes looking pained.  
  
"I don't mean to James, but I like you, a lot, and I don't see why there can't be something between us, and don't use my age again," Lily said quietly looking into James' chocolate brown eyes that seemed to melt with her words.  
  
"Just give me time Lily," James said gently and held her closer, burying his face in her red-copper locks.  
  
"Okay, just don't take too much," Lily said and sighed, slowly falling asleep in James arms. James fell asleep as well and it would have been a Kodak moment had anyone been there with a camera.  
  
Downstairs in the kitchen Remus and Sirius were talking when Sirius suddenly said, "You don't think she killed him do you?"  
  
Remus looked confused before saying, "No, I don't think she would. James is probably just comforting her," he sighed when he saw a familiar gleam in Sirius' eyes. "No Sirius, leave them alone," Remus said firmly.  
  
"What are you going to do to stop me?" Sirius asked with a smug grin on his face.  
  
"Leg-Locker curse," Remus said idly but before Remus could touch his wand Sirius shot up the backstairs with Remus in hot pursuit. "Don't Sirius!" Remus whispered loudly followed by Sirius' harsh, "Shh!"  
  
Remus and Sirius stood to one side of the room and watch James and Lily sleep in each other's arms. "Aww," Sirius whispered in a high pitched cutesy voice, "Aren't they adorable?" he asked and fanned his face with his hand.  
  
"Yeah, where's a camera when you need it?" Remus asked sarcastically.  
  
Sirius dashed silently across the room in a burst of inspiration and ran quickly down the hall and returned a moment later with a muggle camera. "I bought this from Bella," he muttered and walked towards the bed quietly and snapped a picture quickly before he felt his legs go numb. "I can't believe you actually did it!" Sirius screeched as he tried to keep his balance and failed with a loud thunk on the floor.  
  
"I told you to leave them alone," Remus said quietly laughing at Sirius as James began to stir.  
  
"What are you guys doing?" James asked with a yawn as he sat up a little, still holding Lily with one arm while the other propped him up.  
  
"Sirius decided to snap a picture of you two Sleeping Beauties and I warned him I'd put him under the leg-locker cruse if he bothered you," Remus said smiling innocently as he twirled his wand between his fingers. He rather resembled a Cheshire Cat.  
  
"James, buddy, let me up, please?" Sirius begged and James laughed loudly managing to wake Lily.  
  
"What's going on?" Lily asked wiping her eyes.  
  
"Sirius snapped a picture of us sleeping Lily," James said laughing cheerfully.  
  
"What?" Lily asked her voice cracking slightly.  
  
"Oh no, she's gonna kill me James! Please at least let me run!" Sirius begged pitifully.  
  
"I'm not going to kill you." Lily said trailing off her gaze focused on the door. "Hi Bella," she said and the brunette girl walked in tentatively.  
  
"What's going on? Why is Sirius lying on the floor?" Arabella asked looking amused.  
  
"He was just being Sirius, Bella," Lily said and laughed quietly.  
  
"Who cursed him?" Arabella asked with her eyebrows raised questioningly.  
  
"Remus," Sirius said, "Please let me up. I can't feel my legs," he pleaded with them all.  
  
"Oh brother," Arabella said and muttered the counter-curse.  
  
Sirius jumped up and said, "Thank you so much Bella," and he kissed her cheek quickly and stepped away.  
  
Remus rolled his eyes and laughed. "I think maybe it's time to start your lessons Lily," he said and Lily smiled as she climbed off her bed and out of James' lingering embrace.  
  
Author's Note: I hope that you guys like this chapter that and that fluff isn't too bad. Please read & review! I'm sorry for the long delay and I know that it's rather short. I hope to get another out very soon! ~Frankie~ 


	18. First Lessons

Author's Note: Hey guys. this chapter is rather short. Sorry. I wanted to keep what's in the next chapter from being muddled by what this one entails. So I hope you enjoy it. Here are some thank yous as well:  
  
The Elfin Child- You know. that just might be interesting. I can do it for Banishing Charms. It will be wonderful *Laughs maniacally* I'm sorry to hear about your wisdom teeth. I hope you feel better soon and I hope you like this chapter.  
  
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur- *sings* Love, love, love is all you need. Love is all you need. *laughs* I really wish it was Saturday. I'm going to spend the next 24 hours after I get OotP reading. I don't care what time it is. It will keep me from getting paranoid when my parents are gone.  
  
Bell- You know, your reviews are what kick-start me into typing more of this up, so be glad. You're my motivator! I'm glad that the dialogue between Lily and James seems real. Sometimes when I am writing this I just feel like it's going no where.  
  
Myr Halcyon- Are you new? I think this is the first review I've gotten from you. I'm glad you like my little AU, its keeps me on my toes. I'm also glad you like my characterizations and Bella's cats of course. *thinks a moment about the professional distance comment* I have just had an idea. It will help me keep this story from getting too corny and rewrites aren't always bad; depending on a good deal of things. So, I hope you stick around for the rest of the story!  
  
Céline- It's good to know you've stuck around. Sorry for such a long delay. I'm glad you like it and I hope you like this chapter too!  
  
MegHarts- Hey! I'm glad you think the fluff was fine. and since you like fluff I guarantee that you'll like the chapter following this one. Lots of fluff, and its rather angst-filled.  
  
So here is the next chapter, it's short, I'm sorry, but the next one will be out soon! Oh, and don't forget to REVIEW!!! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Eighteen: First Lessons  
  
James, Lily, Sirius, Remus and Arabella headed to the library to get started. "We should probably start with Charms because Bella's here already and she was the best in Charms," James said going across the room to a desk and pulling an eagle feather quill out of a drawer. "I'm guessing you're going to start with levitation," James said setting the feather on the table across from Lily and Arabella.  
  
Arabella smiled, "I knew we thought too much alike," she said and turned to Lily. She explained the elementary motion of 'swish and flick' briefly before she said, "All you need to do is say, 'Wingardium Leviosa,' and to the motion and the feather will rise off the table," then she demonstrated it for Lily's benefit.  
  
A few moments later Lily has successfully levitated the feather and everyone was pleased with her progress. Arabella taught her the basics of a few more charms and told her to practice all of them while she was gone. "You're leaving already?" Lily asked looking a little disappointed.  
  
"Yes, I have to get home and feed the cats. Besides, I'm sure Vixen will want to know that you're alright," Arabella said with a smile, "See you all later," she said and disappeared with a small popping sound.  
  
Sirius stood up awkwardly and said, "I have to talk to Bella really quick. I'll see you guys later," and he too disappeared with a popping sound.  
  
Meanwhile James started Lily on Transfiguration; her first lesson was to turn a match stick into a needle. "Just concentrate on what you want the match to become in your head and picture it as you're saying the spell. It always worked for me," James said gently to Lily who smiled and began concentrating even harder while Remus was buried in a book on Defense Against the Dark Arts. About an hour later Lily had successfully changed three match sticks into a silver needles. "Great job Lily," James said and smiled proudly at her while Remus nodded in approval from a little ways away.  
  
"Do you want to continue? Or do you want to take a rest? You've worked on two forms of fairly complicated magic today, it might be good if we were to move slower," Remus said looking out from behind the bulky book.  
  
"Now that you mention it I am feeling rather tired," Lily said and looked at her watch. It was going on 7:30 in the evening. She gasped. "I completely forgot about dinner," she said and paused a moment before asking, "Where's Sirius?"  
  
Author's Note: Once again I apologize for the shortness. I hope you liked it and that you really like the next chapter. It was one of my favorites to write. Oh, and remember, writer's like feedback so REVIEW! Pretty please? ~Frankie~ 


	19. A Lover's Spat

Author's note: Hey guys. Here's chapter 19. I would have put it out yesterday but I like to get rewarded with reviews! So here's the next chapter, it's full of fluff and a bit of angst but you'll hopefully like it. The thank yous are as follows:  
  
Lily Rose Evans- Thank you, I'm glad that you like it. Here's the next one.  
  
MegHarts- Heh, here's your fluff! I hope you like it. Its Sirius related!  
  
Bell- Good to know you remember details. Yes they did almost get hitched. I'm sorry about the whole organic chemistry thing. I hope you do well. What is your first language? I can't remember.  
  
Isis Stormwing- Great, another new reviewer. I think? Yes, I will put extra space in just for you okay! I thought that was okay, but I will make sure in this one! Harry will come along in a bit. Hopefully before the end of summer. but they still have to get hitched and all that good stuff, so stick around. I'm simply thrilled you like it.  
  
EmeraldDream- I'm glad my writing is improving and I'm glad someone noticed it. I even lengthened this chapter with a bit more descriptive details because it was mainly dialogue.  
  
Céline- I'm sorry that this first lesson was so short. I just was having trouble writing it and so I made it rather short, but I will make them better soon, I promise. I'm probably going to have to make up some things but yeah. I can do that.  
  
Myr Halcyon- I'm glad you like it, and I'm glad I attract new readers. As for the shortness, I had a bit of a block surrounding the first lesson and the notebook I wrote most of this fic in makes it seem longer because it's not a large notebook, but anyways. I know how the reading for a while then writing goes. I've been reading since they actually had the whole music scene in here. Wow, that was so long ago.  
  
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur- I'm glad that you still like it and I hope that you like this chapter too!  
  
Everblue3- You'll see in this chapter what Sirius wanted to talk to Bella about. No James & Lily action in this one but there should be some more soon. even though I have to do a massive rewrite after the next few chapters. It got too corny and I can't get past this one part. SO, I'm going to insert more lessons and a little jealousy via a certain person and I think then I can remove the block from my brain. About the emails, everyone is just lucky I keep all my reviews! And, dinner won't be for at least a chapter. I think?  
  
So here is the lovely next installment of Lily Without Hogwarts and since I haven't done one in a while. I OWN NOTHING! The AU maybe, but pretty much everything else is J.K. Rowling's. oh, and I own Vixen. Heh. So, go read it and then review it because I am completely beholden to my reviewers and I make sure to thank each and every one of them because they are so nice and I love them! SO read! ~Frankie~ .  
  
Chapter Nineteen: A Lover's Spat  
  
~In London~  
  
"Bella?" Sirius asked when he appeared in her house.  
  
"Sirius? What are you doing here?" Arabella asked rather surprised at his sudden arrival.  
  
"You left before I could talk to you," he said in a slightly dejected voice.  
  
"Why do you want to talk to me?" Arabella asked quietly and ran her hand through her hair nervously.  
  
"I miss you," Sirius said quietly, looking up at her sadly his long black hair falling into his eyes.  
  
"I miss you too Si, but you know it won't work. We tried," Arabella said her voice just barely above a whisper as if she was trying to convince more then just Sirius.  
  
"Why can't we try again?" Sirius asked the tone of his voice suggesting desperation.  
  
"You know why!" Arabella exclaimed wondering why her heart was beating so fast and she was getting goose bumps.  
  
"I'm not mature enough for a serious relationship, yes, I know, but I'm trying," Sirius said firmly trying to reign in his emotions.  
  
"Trying? If you were trying then why did you bother James and Lily today by taking their pictures?" Arabella asked looking stern which was better then turning into a puddle of Sirius-obsessed goo on the floor.  
  
"I was messing with Remy! I never planned to do anything to James and Lily but when I saw them looking so cute I went and got that camera and I took their picture! If Remus hadn't cursed me I would have left the room right after that," Sirius explained in a rather manic tone of voice.  
  
"Right, I believe you," Arabella said sarcastically and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Bella, please, don't you believe I can change?" Sirius asked desperately.  
  
"No, I honestly do not believe you can change Sirius," Arabella said angrily while she fought that which was telling her he had changed; her heart.  
  
"Why not?!" Sirius asked starting to get angry himself.  
  
"Because, for you to change Sirius you would have to think before you act and you have never done that! You almost got someone killed because of it!" Arabella said shaking with anger and fear. Her head and her heart fighting against each other viciously.  
  
"That was Sixth year Bella! And Snape is fine!" Sirius exclaimed loudly not believing that she would bring up such an old argument.  
  
"But you didn't think! You just acted and almost got Remus expelled! Not to mention yourself!" Arabella exclaimed angrily her head not giving up the fight, her fears making her volatile.  
  
"Damnit Bella! I've changed! I thought about doing this for weeks but I didn't think we would be arguing about this!" Sirius said in an exasperated tone. "I thought you'd gotten over that!" he exclaimed.  
  
"I have!" Arabella argued furiously.  
  
"Then why the bloody hell did you bring it up?" Sirius questioned his eyes ablaze with confusion and anger while a part of him just wished to pick her up and kiss the breath out of her and the other knew that would be just what Arabella could use to make more excuses because that's what she was doing. Making excuses so as not to get hurt.  
  
"It was an example Sirius!" Arabella exclaimed running out of examples as she argued.  
  
"Well I'm not like that anymore Bella. I think about you every day. I think what I can do to get you back but I rack my mind daily for an answer and I find none. So, now I ask you. What can I do go get you back?" Sirius said growing quieter as he asked each question.  
  
Arabella stood there looking sad, tired and defeated. Her heart was slowly winning the battle but she needed to know something first. "Why?" she asked pushing her hair back out of her face slowly.  
  
"Because I love you and I want to spend my life with you Arabella Figg! I want to marry you and have children with you. I want a family Bella, and I want it with you," Sirius said desperately getting sick of trying to convince her how deeply he loved her. "And if you don't return the feelings, fine!" he said angrily in defense of his pride and turned away storming out of Arabella's house with a loud bang as he slammed the door behind him.  
  
Arabella collapsed to the floor and finally let out the tears that she had been holding in since Sirius had began his explanation of everything. "Damnit Sirius, why don't you ever stick around for an answer?!" Arabella said quietly and picked herself up off the floor wiping the tears from her eyes. As a distraction she began to feed her cats and hoped that Sirius wouldn't do something terribly stupid while he was venting.  
  
Sirius walked angrily through the London streets blowing off steam just by exerting the energy of walking. People parted for him like the Red Sea; they instinctively knew that at that moment he wasn't seeing anything but the walk in front of him and wherever his destination was. He walked into the Leaky Cauldron about 20 minutes after leaving Arabella's still royally pissed off and he ordered a drink and sat at the bar brooding.  
  
"Sirius?" called out a familiar voice as he sat down.  
  
Sirius looked around and spotted Peter Pettigrew walking over to him. "Hey Pete," Sirius said despondently as he wallowed in his drink.  
  
"What's wrong Padfoot?" Peter asked settling on the stool next to Sirius.  
  
"Bella," Sirius said and swallowed whatever liquor resembling thing he had ordered before slamming his glass down on the bar causing many people to look in their direction and Tom the bartender to look at them critically.  
  
"What happened now?" Peter asked gently patting his friend congenially on the shoulder.  
  
"I told her I wanted to marry her and she brought up old ass arguments!" Sirius exclaimed starting to get a slight buzz off the alcohol.  
  
"Like what?" Peter asked though he thought he already knew.  
  
"The Snape thing," Sirius said angrily and a few heads turned in the pub as people recognized the well-known name.  
  
"Oh geez, then what happened?" Peter asked feeling sorry for Sirius.  
  
"I stormed off," Sirius said glumly, depression starting to sink in.  
  
"You staying at home or with James these days?" Peter asked quietly knowing that Sirius wouldn't leave The Leaky Cauldron in any form fit enough to get himself home.  
  
"James," Sirius said getting his third drink from Tom and throwing it back quickly a brief burning sensation in the back of his throat as he swallowed.  
  
"You want me to make sure you get back there?" Peter asked eyeing Sirius' fourth drink which he knocked back just as quickly as the third one.  
  
"Yeah Pete, I'd really appreciate it," Sirius said stretching out the ly in really, drunkenly.  
  
By the sixth drink Sirius was slurring his words rather badly and Tom cut him off. "Take him home Pettigrew. He doesn't need anymore liquor, he needs a nice warm bed," Tom said handing Peter a handful of floo power from underneath the bar.  
  
"Thanks Tom," Peter said and pulled an almost passed out Sirius towards the grate. "Godric's Hollow!" Peter called out holding Sirius up. They got out at James' house after much spinning and Sirius mumbling something about vomiting. Peter helped Sirius into the room he usually stayed in and helped him climb into bed. "Sleep it off buddy," he said to an already passed out Sirius before he went to go find James.  
  
Author's Note: There, the final Marauder. I hope you're all happy as I really wish I didn't have to write that prick in but yeah. There he is. The next chapter had a little of Moldy Voldie so be warned, or it should. I haven't typed it up yet. So, please review and I will try to get out the next chapter within a few days. ~Frankie~ 


	20. Animosity & Strange Behavior

Authors Note: Hey guys, I'm sorry it keeps taking me so long to update. I'm rather distracted as of late. This chapter is pretty short; sorry about that but I didn't want to put the following chapter in this one because it would be odd. at least for me.  
  
And the thank yous are as follows:  
  
The Elfin Child- Yes, this will be interesting. but it's going to have to be the next round of lessons or something. Sweet and Sour pork huh? Now you're making me hungry. thp! I'm glad you appreciate my Moldy Voldie crack. and I have read OotP twice now. *massive sadness* *cries*  
  
Bell- Yup, Moldy Voldie is what I call that S.O.B. I have a passionate soul says some quiz I took. Lol. I refuse to tell people who as me who died in OotP. *sadness*  
  
Myr Halcyon- I am going to start to work in OotP references so I have to do a bit of rewriting so after the next chapter it's going to be probably even longer before next chapters because I don't have the next ones written at all and a part that I did write I don't like too much so I have to change it again. *sighs*  
  
Celine- I'm glad you like Sirius. This chapter gives you your answer. I'm glad you loved it!  
  
MegHarts- I'm glad you liked the chapter. Hopefully there will be more fluff to come.  
  
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur- Though I would love to kill off Peter immediately I'm trying to stick to cannon as much as possible. But I will make Karma kick his ass okay? I hope you like the coming chapters.  
  
Sarah- Good to have a new reviewer. I thought I corrected that mistake. Blast. *Is too lazy to fix it* I hope you like the story and continue reading!  
  
So, that's the thank yous and I hope that you like this chapter even though its kind of short. Please review! I love my reviewers! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Twenty: Animosity & Strange Behavior  
  
"Where's Sirius?" Lily asked when she realized his absence was her reason for forgetting about dinner.  
  
"James! Where are you?" a boyish voice called out from down the hall.  
  
"Peter? What are you doing here?" Remus asked spotting a dusty looking young man with a pointed rat-like face, blonde hair and beady blue eyes.  
  
"I found Sirius at the Leaky Cauldron drinking away his sorrows. He's in his normal room passed out," Peter answered absently running his hand through his dusty hair.  
  
"Oh wonderful, what happened?" James asked with an exasperated voice.  
  
"He got into an argument with Bella," Peter answered fidgeting slightly and sticking his hands in his pockets.  
  
Remus didn't look surprised. "I thought that was where he went. I'll go make sure he is okay," Remus said and walked out of the library fairly quickly.  
  
Peter watched Remus leave before turning back to James and finally spotting Lily. "Oh, hello! I'm Peter Pettigrew," Peter said and walked over to shake Lily's hand.  
  
"Lily Evans," Lily said and took Peter's hand wondering at the slightly squirmy feeling she was having in the pit of her stomach.  
  
"Nice to meet you Lily," Peter said wondering where he had heard that name before.  
  
"And you Peter," Lily said with a smile forgetting about the strange feeling. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" she asked as she looked over at James briefly who shrugged as if saying it was up to Peter.  
  
"Sure, that would be great. I haven't had home cooked food that wasn't burnt for quite a while," Peter said accepting Lily's invitation gladly.  
  
"Great, I'll go start while James occupies you," Lily said, smiled at James briefly before leaving the library for the kitchen.  
  
"She cooks?" Peter asked looking confused.  
  
"Yeah. Oh you remember me putting an out for a caretaker right?" James asked with a slight pause and continued at Peter's questioning nod. "Well, so far Lily is the only candidate and even if there were more I think Lily will stick," James said and suddenly as if remembering something he walked over to the desk and wrote a note to The Daily Prophet to take his ad out of further editions of the paper.  
  
"And she answered the ad? What did you say James?" Peter asked snidely.  
  
"Peter, I didn't put out that type of ad and you damn well know it," James said angrily wondering when Peter grew the balls to say something as unlike him as possible.  
  
"Yeah, I know. I must be spending too much time with Sirius or something," Peter amended quietly.  
  
James looked at him and nodded though he didn't believe Peter in the slightest because Sirius wouldn't say something as rude as that in that tone of voice in his life. He wondered what had gotten into Peter; Arabella was right, since 7th year he'd been acting like a moron. "Listen Pete; be a little careful of what you say around Lily. She's slightly volatile with something's so if you think it's even remotely offensive, don't say it," James warned Peter for his own well-being and the fact that Lily wasn't in control of her powers yet and he really didn't want to have to look for a new house.  
  
"Sure James, anything you say," Peter said quietly and they both left the library to see how Sirius was doing.  
  
Sirius had woken up and gone to the bathroom and passed out again and Remus was helping Sirius back into bed fairly easily as James and Peter entered the room. "You want help?" James asked.  
  
"Nah, I got it," Remus said and lay Sirius in the bed without a problem.  
  
"Damn you and those muscles," James joked in a feminine sort of voice.  
  
"What are you talking about? All the ladies love it," Remus said puffing out his chest and winking at James.  
  
"Except when it gets to be that time of the month," Peter joked ruining the friendly atmosphere in the room while James shook his head and Remus glared at Peter rather venomously.  
  
"What's gotten into you Peter? You've been acting like a prick," Remus said in an annoyed voice.  
  
"Sirius says stuff like that all the time!" Peter protested.  
  
"Not for at least two years! He's grown up while you seem to be stuck back in Hogwarts Wormtail, and I honestly don't know why you've changed," Remus said and walked out of the room. "Bella! What are you doing here?" James and Peter heard Remus ask from inside Sirius' room.  
  
"I wanted to make sure Sirius got back here," Arabella's voice came into the room as James and Peter came out into the hallway.  
  
"Okay, do you want me to tell Lily that you're here?" Remus asked with a smile keeping his gaze away from Peter who stood at the door.  
  
"Um, sure I guess," Arabella said raising an eyebrow at the tension in the air that she could probably cut with a knife and wondered why.  
  
"Why don't you stay for dinner?" James asked gently with a small smile trying to forget that Peter was standing just behind him and that he would really like to elbow him.  
  
"Er, alright, if it doesn't inconvenience Lily," Arabella said eyeing Peter suspiciously as she assumed he was the cause of the tension.  
  
Suddenly Peter's eyes widened and his left hand clutched involuntarily. "I- um-it won't, you see because I forgot about something that I-um-have to do. Tell Lily I'm sorry. I will see you all later," Peter stuttered and suddenly disapparated from the hallway.  
  
"That was odd," Remus said and scratched his head in wonderment.  
  
"I hope he didn't leave because of me," Arabella said quietly.  
  
"Nah, it was probably something with his grandmother that he forgot to do," James said and they all didn't think another thing about it and headed down to the kitchen to have dinner happily, forgetting completely about Peter's strange disappearance.  
  
Authors Note: Gosh, really short! I'm sorry; I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and the next chapter and how I portray Moldy Voldie. Love you all because you're such great reviewers! ~Frankie~ 


	21. Malfoy's Punishment

Author's Note: Hey guys! Here's the next installment of Lily Without Hogwarts and I really hope that you enjoy it because I had a blast writing it. I can be evil when I want to. *grins* But yeah, I really hope you enjoy it! The thank yous are as follows:  
  
The Elfin Child- I'm sorry that the chapters are so short! *Yes, she did! ~Cries~* I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
  
Bell- Don't worry about bugging me about updating, sometimes if I don't get a reminder I forget completely. Congrats on reading Potter for the first time in English! Here's Voldie for ya. I hope that he's as evil to you all as he was when he was in my head.  
  
Midnight-Shadow- Hey, good to have a new reviewer! Sirius does have a spot of trouble with girls doesn't he? *smiles* Look for the sorting out of those in the next chapter! I hope you like it.  
  
Anarane Anwamane- Another new one! Yay! Sorry, I love getting reviews, they make me feel happy. I'm glad you like it and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!  
  
Cataclysmic- And another! *feels very, very honored!* I'm glad you find it interesting. I hope that you enjoy the coming chapters!  
  
MegHarts- Yes, Peter is a loser. *growls* I hope you like this chapter!  
  
Myr Halcyon- Thank you for your wonderful suggestions. I am trying to make Peter appear more immature and after this chapter try to make his Voldie associations less obvious. Harry didn't get a notebook from the MWPP era about animagus that must have been a fan fic. I knew that Arabella Figg knew about the wizarding world, I just didn't know she was. yeah. Trying to keep spoilers out of my story until I get feedback from you people that read it.  
  
And since I haven't done one in a while. Disclaimer! I don't own Potter or anything Potter related! I own Vixen and Mr. Henderson; the rest belongs to Mrs. J.K. Rowling in her astounding brilliancy! On a side note: *cries* How could she!! *sobs over keyboard*  
  
I hope you like the chapter *sniff* ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Twenty-One: Malfoy's Punishment  
  
In an empty graveyard miles away from London a gathering was taking place. This gathering was being held by one Lord Voldemort and his most devoted followers were the attendees. A tall skinny man with hands like pale spiders for hands stood waiting for his Death Eaters to arrive, and they did in twos and threes before a circle formed around the man and in turn each follower crawled forward and kissed the hems of his robes and slunk back off into the circle. "Welcome Death Eaters," Voldemort's high, cold voice called out into the foggy tomb-laden graveyard.  
  
None of the Death Eaters said a thing but waited for Voldemort's criticism and possible instructions. "Something has been brought to my attention that I believe needs explication," Voldemort said sounding furious as some of the Death Eaters shifted nervously. "I have heard tell from one amongst you that James Potter has in his company a muggle-born witch that I painstakingly removed from attendance at Hogwarts School. You have all heard my tale; some of you were present when I received the original information. For those of you who weren't I will bring you up to speed," Voldemort said coldly slowly looking around the circle of cloaked figures glaring menacingly at some and approvingly at others.  
  
"Around 7 years ago I found and tortured a well-known and meddling young Seer. She told me that my Downfall was arriving and if I wanted to stop it that I needed to keep a young mudblood girl from attending Hogwarts School. I immediately took action and watched the house where the girl could be found waiting for the letter I knew would arrive. I befuddled the owl into believing I was the girl and sent it back to Hogwarts with a letter saying that the girl did not wish to attend. It wasn't hard, it was rather easy and I see now that I should not have been fooled by the Seer," Voldemort said and stopped his glance on one Death Eater that was radiating waves of tension and dread. "I learned this evening that the girl, Lily Evans, is now residing with James Potter!" Voldemort screeched coldly and the man he was looking at shivered in a frightened manner.  
  
Many of the other Death Eaters looked piteously through the slits in their masks at the shuddering man before Voldemort crossed to the other side of the circle and asked in a whisper that all of them heard, "I want to know what is going on there Wormtail, you will tell me everything," and the smallest of the group squeaked in a rat-like manner.  
  
"I - I don't know Master," the boy squeaked and many of his fellows whispered excitedly.  
  
"SILENCE!" Voldemort shouted rounding on them before turning back to Wormtail's quivering form. "You know nothing Wormtail? You must know something about the girl as you were there this evening were you not?" He asked coldly taking hold of the boy's cloak at the throat.  
  
"A-all - all th-that I know is P-potter hired her as a maid through an a- article in the D-daily P-prophet," Wormtail squeaked shaking with fear and a horrible sort of dread. A gasp was let out from the space to the right of where Wormtail was that was hastily covered up, but it was too late, Voldemort had heard the gasp and let Wormtail drop back to the wet grass and turned his head to look at the Death Eater.  
  
"Is there something you wish to say Lucius?" Voldemort whispered silkily to the man and in the silence every word was heard by the other Death Eaters.  
  
"Y-yes Master," Lucius Malfoy stuttered slightly trying to regain some semblance of pride.  
  
Voldemort's eyes narrowed coldly. "What is it that you want heard Lucius?" he said slightly louder causing Malfoy to tremble slightly.  
  
Malfoy gave a great shuddering breath and resigned himself to telling his master what he'd so foolishly done. "I believe that it is my fault my Lord that the girl has entered the wizarding world," he said quickly as a shudder went down his spine when Voldemort's cruel eyes widened furiously.  
  
"Explain yourself," Voldemort shouted angrily at Malfoy, his eyes turning to slits and glinting red in the darkness.  
  
Malfoy took another shuddering breath before beginning his tale. "I was in London earlier this week and I saw a red-headed girl outside a muggle shop who seemed to be a muggle. I decided to trick her and spelled the Daily Prophet that I was carrying with me to stop moving and I threw it at her feet telling her to get a job fully expecting her to look for Diagon Alley and be unable to find it. I never thought that she would find something she could or would do. I didn't think she was Lily Evans," Malfoy said, finishing his sentence as if he was proud of what he'd done.  
  
Voldemort looked intently at Malfoy as he told his story his face contorted in rage as it progressed and when Malfoy stopped he wiped the rage from his features and smiled a very evil smile. Malfoy flinched and for a moment Voldemort looked amused, that is, before he spoke in his cold cruel voice, "That is your problem Lucius, you stated it twice quite plainly. You didn't think, you don't and ever have," Voldemort trailed off for a moment and the amused look came back for a moment. "I will point out the very interesting way to befuddle a muggle, but maybe, just maybe," Voldemort paused and seemed to be gathering all the rage he'd ever felt and the amused look vanished in an instant, "YOU SHOULD MAKE SURE THEY ARE MUGGLES!" he shouted and Malfoy stepped back in fright as a mad glint became apparent in Voldemort's eyes.  
  
Malfoy shook in his place as Voldemort's eyes narrowed and his wand was now visible in his hand. "That you will have to pay for," Voldemort said silkily and pointed his wand at Malfoy whose eyes had widened in horror. "Crucio!" Voldemort shouted and Malfoy fell to the ground writhing and screaming in agony. His pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears as the Death Eaters let out amused little laughs. Voldemort's pet Death Eater had fouled up, finally, and most of them were quite happy with the change in status.  
  
Voldemort stopped the curse and Malfoy stopped screaming though he sobbed into his hands, "I-I'm s-s-sorry M-m-master. I-I-I d-didn't k-know," he pleaded his body still aching painfully.  
  
"Silence! Pick yourself up you're making yourself a disgrace," Voldemort said in a rather disgusted tone before he turned to a figure two people down from where Malfoy had been positioned in the circle and said, "Make sure he doesn't foul up again." The figure nodded briefly, cold black eyes staring blankly into Voldemort's as Malfoy climbed unsteadily to his feet.  
  
Voldemort turned back to Wormtail. "You will be my spy Wormtail. You will tell me everything that goes on between Evans and Potter. I want to know every detail possible," Voldemort hissed at the shuddering boy vaguely aware that Malfoy was wiping his face beneath his mask.  
  
"Y-yes Master," Wormtail said in the following silence Voldemort cackled menacingly.  
  
"You may all go, except Wormtail, we have some things to discuss," Voldemort said when his maniacal laughter desisted and everyone but the small shuddering boy Disapparated.  
  
Wormtail stood there alone with Voldemort quaking violently even though he knew if the Dark Lord was going to kill him he would have done so in front of the group, to make an example of him. Wormtail was looking down at his feet shifting back and forth nervously when Voldemort spoke in a smooth, yet cold voice, "How do you plan to become close enough to the Evans girl?" he asked with an evil smile on his face.  
  
"I-I don't know," Wormtail said and figured this to be entirely the wrong answer as he knew he was neither as quick as Sirius nor as clever as James. However, Voldemort smiled when he said this.  
  
"Wonderful, simply wonderful," Voldemort said with a wicked glint in his eye before he continued as if he was talking about having tea with the Queen, "I have an idea Wormtail, but don't worry all you have to do is play along." Voldemort saw the questioning look forming on Wormtail's face before he could hide it and said, "You'll know when it happens Wormtail, everything will work out marvelously. Now leave and care for your grandmother."  
  
Wormtail nodded, bowed and Disapparated instantly. Voldemort whispered to himself in the silent graveyard viciously, "While you can!" he cackled malevolently before he disappeared with the swish of his cloak and the graveyard was empty, fog rolling thickly around the tombstones as if no one had ever been there.  
  
Author's Note: I know this one is short too. *sighs* I just seem to be incapable of writing long chapters. I will do my best though to get the next few chapters to be longer or at least more descriptive for you lot. *If I don't get writers block!* **knocks on wood** Not Oliver Wood. *grins* Hope you liked it! Please review!!! ~Frankie~ 


	22. A Love Rekindled

Authors Note: Eeep! I am such a bad person! I've had this chapter and the next one all typed up and I completely forgot! *smacks self a few times* Wake up Frankie! You have to update more often. I have good news though. I figured out where I want the fic to go and have been writing furiously for the past 4 days in a notebook. I hope you all like the direction that I'm taking this. Now for the long delayed thank yous:  
  
Bell- Thank you, I'm glad my Voldie was evil enough. OotP will soon be affecting my storyline. I hope you like the chapter.  
  
EmeraldDream- Thank you for your support of OotP inclusions. And I hope that Ireland was wonderful. *wishes she was there*  
  
Midnight-shadow- Voldie does suck doesn't he? Don't worry; I'll have him be greatly disappointed at some points. Malfoy will get his comeuppance. *grins evily*  
  
Starfaery- Sorry that I've kept you hanging. I hope that you like this and the next chapters.  
  
Elfin Child- Thank you for your support of OotP inclusions. I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to do it if people didn't want them. But it's all planned out for a bit and I have some interesting and sort of cheesy things to happen. I hope you like them. *You keep Oliver Wood in a hat do you? Hehe.*  
  
Everblue3- I always love your input. I am wondering how I am going to tie it all together myself, so we're both probably in for a bit of a surprise. I always hoped I would be able to write with different voices and I'm very pleased that I succeeded in this attempt. There will probably be more Voldie to come.  
  
Isis Stormwing- About Remus' muscles, I've always thought that Remus would be slightly stronger then the average because of being a werewolf. But that's just my thought, correct or incorrect I will not know until I get The Encyclopedia of Werewolves, which I want so very badly. *sighs* I'm also glad you didn't see it coming. It's good to surprise my readers. Peter is an only child. sadly there is a bit of Peter stuff to come.  
  
Myr Halcyon- I'm glad you approve of Voldie, regardless of the "muggles" outburst. I wanted to throw in a little bit of humor in there for my sanity. I'm planning on making James have a few ass-like characteristics soon. In fact there will be one in what I've written in the past 4 days. *sighs* Though I'm going to have to fix the next addition of Peter because he's not as creepy as I'd hoped. but yeah. You'll see.  
  
Anarane- Thank you, I hope that you do and I'm glad you liked Chapter 21. Sorry that it has taken so long to get this one out. I've been arguing with writers block on self doubt, but I'm back on track. The part that I did have written was horrid. I'm glad I dumped it because the new stuff, though slightly of the cheese variety is much better then what I had before.  
  
Elf Flame- Hey, thank you for your support. I shall use your suggestion of a warning for the OotP things. I hope that my future chapters help you with your own story.  
  
Neri- Dear Merlin! Everyday!? I'm so sorry, but your review reminded me to post this so I must thank you profusely for being my kick in the butt to wake me up from my slumber. I've been a bad author. *smacks self again* If you would like to leave an email *use spaces, avoid spam bots* I can email you whenever there is an update. I've started doing that because of my terrible memory and my periodic writers block. Thank you again for being a great reader.  
  
Well, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. It's chockfull of Sirius & Arabella fluff. So I hope you like it. You are all wonderful so I am posting two chapters, regardless of my want to have thank yous in each chapter! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Twenty-Two: A Love Rekindled  
  
Sirius woke with a pounding headache and a downright awful taste in his mouth that reminded him vaguely of a time at Hogwarts when James had gotten hold of some Ogden's Old Firewhiskey and drunken themselves sick after a Quidditch victory. He glanced at the clock, it was going on nine o'clock in the evening and his stomach growled in response. Sirius climbed rather ungracefully out of his bed to get something to eat and drink from the kitchen. He heard laughter in the kitchen and froze momentarily forgetting how he'd gotten back to James' before remembering Peter helping him.  
  
He sighed and walked into the kitchen with his head down. "Sirius! You're awake! Do you want something to eat or drink?" Lily asked in a kind and rather motherly tone.  
  
"Yes please," Sirius said not even noticing that Arabella was there and staring directly at him. He heard Lily's chair scrape on the floor before he looked up and spotted Arabella. "Bella," he whispered quietly, his voice gravelly as an awkward pain went through his chest.  
  
"Sirius, may I speak with you?" Arabella asked quietly as she watched Sirius who was obviously uncomfortable with her presence there. Lily handed Sirius a plate of food and a bottle of butterbeer and moved toward James who was looking like he was about to say something or stand up.  
  
"Sure," Sirius said in an attempt to recapture some of his pride as he brushed back his hair though it still hid some of his face from view. James, Lily and Remus bid them goodnight in quiet voices and almost ran for the door. Sirius set his plate on the vacated table and asked, "What do you want to talk about?" in an indifferent tone of voice.  
  
"Don't be thick-," Arabella started and when Sirius just raised his eyebrows at her she sighed and said, "I'm sorry. You didn't let me answer you before you stormed out of my house earlier." She looked up at Sirius again who was standing there proudly still waiting for an explanation even though she could tell that his head was aching painfully and his legs were contemplating giving out on him.  
  
"Really? And if I had stayed what would your response had been?" Sirius asked seriously looking directly into Arabella's brightly blue eyes.  
  
"I would have asked you to leave, but wait, just listen before you storm out on me again," Arabella said as Sirius had made a motion for the door, fully prepared to leave and sleep off the rest of his headache. Sirius paused and looked back at Arabella with a placating look upon his face. Arabella took a deep breath and began again, "I heard Peter say something to Remus earlier and Remus snapped at him but Peter protested that it was something that you would have said. Remus then told him, 'Yeah, but not for at least two years,' and I realized that he was right." Arabella trailed off and with a pained look said, "You were right. You have changed, you have grown up and it was wrong of me not to have seen it." She paused looking close to tears, "It was wrong of me to judge you and try to change you when I should have just accepted you because I love you." At her last word she slapped a hand over her mouth as if she hadn't been meaning to say it.  
  
Arabella was unable to hold back neither the tears nor the words any longer that were forcing themselves out, "I love you Sirius Black and I want to do all those things you said today. Get married, have children and make a family," she paused again and said, "But I think it would be best if we were to start from scratch." Arabella looked over at Sirius who seemed to have not taken in a word and muttered, "If you don't hate me that is."  
  
Sirius stood there shocked, his eyes wide, all the blood draining from his head and into his toes; it felt as if he could not take a breath. Then slowly the feeling in his body returned, he could breathe and the ache in his chest had dissipated. Sirius walked purposely across the kitchen without a word and pulled Arabella up, kissing her passionately, holding her tightly, conveying without clumsy words what he was feeling. When he finally pulled away he said, "I love you Bella, and I would do anything for you," and he held her closer for a moment taking in her scent, her feel; everything he had missed about her before pulling completely away and giving her about two feet of personal space. He smiled in a handsome, heartwarming smile and stuck his hand out before saying, "Hello. My name is Sirius Black; it's absolutely wonderful to meet you."  
  
Arabella laughed pleasantly as she wiped away the tears from her face and said, "Arabella Figg, and the pleasure is all mine," she smiled at him happily wondering how far he would carry out the amusing charade.  
  
Sirius then looked down at his toes as if examining them for dirt and said, "I know we've just met and that this is rather childish," he paused and looked up at her, completely unable to keep the amusement out of his eyes, "but would you be my girlfriend?"  
  
Arabella grinned from ear to ear quietly wondering what it would be like to tell this tale to her daughter before she said, "Gladly. Now how about we go ask James if he has any hangover relief potion stashed somewhere in this house of his." She kissed his cheek and they walked out of the kitchen hand in hand to find James.  
  
James, Remus and Lily were in the Library. James and Remus were playing wizarding chess at a coffee table near the fire and Lily was reading Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling curled up with her legs tucked underneath her in a red leather chair. She glanced up every so often to watch James and Remus. Remus was winning. That was the scene that Sirius and Arabella walked in to see.  
  
"Hey guys," Sirius said smiling at them brightly, still holding Arabella's hand and looking extremely happy.  
  
Remus looked up from watching James plot his next move and said, "Finally," with the barest glance before returning to look at the board.  
  
Lily looked up, smiled briefly and said, "Go eat Sirius before it gets cold," and then she went back to her reading thought she looked thoroughly pleased with something she sighed and brushed her hair out of her face.  
  
James looked up finally, though not to Sirius at first but Lily at her sigh, and then quickly changed the direction he was looking to Sirius. "There's headache potion in your bathroom cabinet, take it and go eat," he muttered looking slightly pink in the face before he made his next move.  
  
Arabella and Sirius exchanged glances and then turned and headed out of the Library to the bathroom in Sirius' room to get the potion and then back down to the kitchen so Sirius could eat. "Do you get the feeling they expected us to get back together?" Sirius asked quietly sitting down at the kitchen table where he'd left his dinner of steak and kidney pie, a large helping of mashed potatoes and some corn. "Yes I do. Even Lily seemed bored with us," Arabella said and shook her head vaguely with a small smile. She and Sirius talked as he ate and it was pleasant and wonderful therapy for them both who had been feeling slightly lost in the almost two years that they had just been friends. They in essence got to know each other again and found to their delight that they still cared for one another as they always had.  
  
Author's Note: Alright guys. Sorry that it was again short. There will be some longer chapters soon. Please Read and Review! ~Frankie~ 


	23. Paranoia, Paranoia

Author's Note: No thank yous. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Its not one of my better chapters, but its still a little interesting. Please Review! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Twenty-Three: Paranoia, Paranoia  
  
In the library after Sirius and Arabella left James smiled broadly at Remus when Remus defeated him in a rather spectacular move by his only remaining knight. James stuck out his tongue and said, in imitation of Sirius' Hogwarts days, "You suck." Which was conveniently followed by Lily's amused laugh.  
  
Remus laughed himself and said somewhat seriously, "Prongs stop picking on Padfoot," as he put the chess pieces back on the board and they magically put themselves back together. Neither of them noticed the curious look Lily gave them at the use of these strange names nor that they had used them in front of someone that wasn't 'in on the secret.'  
  
"Why? He's always picking on me," James protested lightly before he let out a yawn and took off his glasses briefly to wipe at his tired eyes.  
  
Lily was curious but she didn't ask. "You should go to sleep James," Lily said as she flipped a page in her book and placed a bookmark on the start of the next chapter.  
  
"Yes, I will soon. I have things to do in the morning. Oh, and Leslie will be here around 8," James said giving out another yawn. "I'll probably have to go into the office too," he sighed and tried to shake off another yawn without success that Lily copied tiredly herself.  
  
"I'm going to head to bed myself, I'll see you both in the morning," Lily said walking over to Remus and ruffling his hair pleasantly. "Goodnight Remus, James," she said and walked out of the library and to the kitchen to say goodnight to Arabella and Sirius leaving James and Remus in the library.  
  
"Hey you two, I'm heading to bed after I clean up these dishes quickly," Lily said when she entered the kitchen where Arabella and Sirius were laughing pleasantly at some joke. She put the dishes which Sirius had left on the table along with the others from the earlier meal into the sink and turned to Arabella asking, "What's that cleaning charm again?"  
  
Arabella smiled at Lily's want to do things by herself and said, "Scourgify." Lily nodded politely and said the incantation pointing her wand into the sink and pink soap bubbles appeared and cleaned the dishes without another thought. "That's great Lily, especially on a first attempt," Arabella said and gave Lily a hug. "You go to sleep; you look almost dead on your feet. Don't worry about the charm; I'll stop it when the dishes are clean," Arabella said pretty much pushing Lily up the stairs to her room.  
  
Lily laughed but managed to turn and say, "Goodnight Sirius, I hope your headache goes away," and she climbed the stairs to her room still carrying Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling and she read for about twenty minutes before she fell asleep.  
  
In the library just after Lily left Remus paused halfway through something he was saying to James and said, "I called you and Sirius' your names from the map with Lily in the room." Remus looked almost horrified as he said it.  
  
James paused, screwed up his face in concentration and then said, "Yeah, I know. Lily didn't ask about it, but she must have heard every word. I wonder why?" He seemed to be in thought for a moment, "You don't think that in her dreams she knew do you?" he asked quietly.  
  
Now Remus definitely looked horrified and scared. "S-she would have said something wouldn't she?" he asked biting his lower lip nervously.  
  
"I don't know, but don't freak out! In whatever alternate universe Lily went to Hogwarts, maybe you trusted her enough to tell her?" James said seriously, trying to calm his friend. "If she did know in her dreams and was afraid of you it probably would have carried over to her now and you both get along fine, so if she knew she was probably fine with it as Sirius, Peter and I were," James said successfully coming up with the right words to calm Remus down.  
  
Remus took a deep breath and sighed. "And it's not like I can ask her without telling her if she doesn't know," Remus muttered and leaned forward hanging his head, his light brown hair falling into his eyes.  
  
James sighed and pat Remus on the shoulder in a friendly way. "If she 'knew', she'll remember and probably tell you, so don't worry about it. And definitely don't act weird towards her, she's already fairly paranoid in the first place," he said and then ruffled Remus' hair just as Lily had.  
  
There was a creaking noise from above them and James said, "Lily is going to sleep. I suggest you get to sleep soon yourself as I'm going to head that way now. I'll see you in the morning Moony," and Remus grinned at the use of the nickname before James overenthusiastically bowed himself from the room, his laughter carrying down the hall as Remus picked up 'Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts' from a shelf in the room and started reading to ease his rattled nerves.  
  
Coming Attractions: Lily faces some challenges and things resulting from Voldemort's action toward Lily when she was 11 become a little more interesting. New Characters and some OotP hints. So Beware! ~Frankie~ 


	24. Mistakes

Authors Note: Hey everyone. I've got another update for you. I hope you like it. It's a bit longer then previous chapters.  
  
The Elfin Child- *watches as Angry Marauders look out window after you* Er, I didn't have anything to do with it. It was all her. Thank you for the review!  
  
Bell- Hey, sorry about not updating for so long. I'll try to be a better person, I promise. Romance is coming, James and Lily very soon, I promises.  
  
Anarane Anwamane- Thank you, I hope you like this chapter.  
  
Zebragurl- I'm glad you like the banter, I wasn't entirely sure if I was getting that down or not. I'm glad you liked it. I'm sorry about the scary pictures of Arabella and Sirius; I started this before OotP so yeah. James/Lily action begins soon, I promises!  
  
Midnight-shadow- I'm glad you loved the fluff, from here on in its cheesy for at least a little while. I have odd inspirations when I'm writing. It's meant to be a little confusing, I think.  
  
I hope you guys like this chapter. I apologize in advance for any soap opera like plotlines. I'm just strange. ~_^ I hope you like it!  
  
Oh, and because I haven't done one for a long time. DISCLAIMER: I own nothing! Okay, I own a few things but I don't own the major characters they are all the wonderful creation of J.K. Rowling and I feel honored to use them, though she probably has no idea who I am I bow down to her in gratitude! Flames will be used to light my cigarettes. thank you very much, please review! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Twenty-Four: Mistakes  
  
After James bit Remus goodnight he climbed up the stairs to his bedroom. He glanced at Lily's closed door when he reached the landing and briefly thought about going to say goodnight but dismissed the thought immediately knowing that his self-restraint wouldn't survive past going through her bedroom door. He sighed in a slightly disheartened manner and turned to his own bedroom; he entered, closing the door behind him and leaning against it to soak up the darkness and to stare at the patch of moonlight coming in through the open drapes over the window. James glanced at his bed and a sudden wave of loneliness engulfed him. "By Merlin I am pathetic," he muttered to himself and stripped down to his maroon boxers and climbed into bed.  
  
If James had been hoping to fall asleep immediately, he was mistaken. His thoughts instantly strayed to what Lily had said to him earlier and as he removed his glasses her voice echoed in his head. He stared up at the ceiling picturing Lily's face as the words were repeated. "I like you, a lot, and I just don't see why there can't be something between us, and don't use my age again," her voice was just a little pleading and a whole lot sweet and kind. His own voice taunted him with his cowardly plea for time.  
  
"I can't believe I was in Gryffindor," James mumbled furiously to himself as he covered his face with a pillow as if trying to suffocate himself. A few moments later he uncovered his face and stared up at the ceiling again. Thought were rolling through his mind like wildfire and he knew that until they had run their course he wouldn't be able to sleep. He didn't really have any idea why he was so attracted to Lily. She was just a girl; naïve with a sort of embedded strength that seemed to radiate from her in breathtaking waves. It nearly drove him to madness every moment he saw her. His thoughts began to drift toward a future involving him and her together, maybe a few children, a son perhaps. That's when any thought of future came skidding to a halt on Voldemort.  
  
The terrible excuse for a wizard was taking over every where and James ached to stop him. So many people were turning up dead or being reported missing that the Daily Prophet has a 3 page layout everyday with updates, family pleas and rewards for information. The whole wizarding world was up in arms. The Aurors were struggling to gain more ground but it kept slipping away. Even the capture of one of Voldemort's Death Eaters was pretty much useless. They never said a word and when they were locked up in Azkaban they always seemed to escape without much trouble mere days and sometimes hours after they were put away. Because of this the Minister of Magic began to allow the Aurors to use the Unforgivable Curses on the Death Eaters. James thought this was a mistake only because killing them wouldn't help much; Voldemort got new followers every day and it wasn't any good trying to fight fire with fire.  
  
James sighed and scrubbed at his face with his hands and felt the stubble there proclaiming his need to shave in the morning. Sleep was avoiding him yet again and insomnia seemed to plague him every night though he managed to hide it from Sirius and Remus with glamour charms to veil the shadows under his eyes. James wished that he was better at Potions so he could make himself a sleeping draught and actually rest his tired body. The fact was that last night when he'd held Lily through her nightmare it had been the first time in weeks that he had managed a decent night's sleep. He sighed again and turned away from the door when he heard Arabella giggle quietly and Sirius' door shut with a snap. James climbed out of bed and grabbed his wand to silence any possible things that he would hear coming from Sirius' room. He had absolutely no desire to hear the happy couple doing whatever happy couples do when they've gotten back together.  
  
Once the charm was cast James crawled back beneath his warm comforter and closed his eyes hoping and pleading that sleep might finally over take him, and it did.  
  
In her sleep Lily tossed and turned in the fit of yet another nightmare. The man standing in front of Mr. Henderson's driveway was now standing in front of her and she was bound tightly to a chair. There was another chair just in front of her with another woman that she knew tied there, mouthing that everything was going to be okay. Lily was very frightened and she felt as if she and Alice were doomed to die at the vile man's hands. His eyes were glowing red and he was ghostly pale, the hand holding his wand nonchalantly at his side as though he was waiting for something to happen.  
  
"What are you and Potter plotting girl?" Voldemort asked with his head to the side as if he was just asking for a cup of sugar. "How do you plan to undo me girl! Speak up or she dies," he said coldly and a dagger suddenly appeared in his other hand, its tip resting on Alice's neck; a small bead of her blood dripping down on to her sweater testifying the sharpness of the blade.  
  
There was a sudden flash of light and a deafening bang before- "Lily, Lily; wake up! You're having a nightmare," Remus' voice brought her out and she clutched at him sobbing, tears streaming down her sweaty face. "Shh, every thing is okay now. You're awake, it was just a nightmare," Remus repeated over and over until Lily's breathing steadied and her hiccupping desisted. He rocked her back and forth until she whispered something he didn't understand. "What was that?" he asked soothingly and waited for her to speak.  
  
"Voldemort, it was about Voldemort," Lily said and Remus examined her face carefully. The fear from her dream was still evident in her eyes.  
  
"What happened?" Remus asked knowing that if she didn't tell it soon the fear would only bottle itself up inside and make her almost useless if she ever really did come face to face with Voldemort.  
  
Lily took a deep breath and began. "Alice and I were walking, it was getting late. The setting sun had turned everything orange and we were trying to get back to the Leaky Cauldron because I wasn't able to Apparate yet, when we were suddenly surrounded by men in black hooded cloaks; six of them, I think. One of them said, 'Stupefy,' and then I remember coming to tied to a chair and Alice was tied to a chair in front of me a few feet away. Voldemort was between us shooting off question after question and there was a voice in my head saying, 'Answer, answer the questions,' and I didn't want to or didn't know or something. Voldemort started threatening Alice with a dagger. Then there was this light and a loud bang before you woke me up," Lily said periodically pausing, but only to take a breath before she would continue. When she finished she looked tired and there was still fear in her eyes, but she wasn't nearly as frightened as she had been when she woke.  
  
Remus ran the story though his head and wondered a great many things, but first he needed to ask one question. "Alice who?" he asked trying to keep is curiosity to a minimum.  
  
"Prewitt of course! What other Alice do we know? She's going to marry Frank Longbottom in a month or two," Lily said and rolled her eyes appearing frustrated for a moment before it turned into an odd sort of shock and she looked up at Remus whose eyes were wide and he looked almost fearful.  
  
"Lily, when did you meet Alice and Frank?" Remus asked wondering if he could get anymore answers from her that she shouldn't know.  
  
For a moment Lily appeared confused. "I don't know anyone named Alice or Frank, Remus, except for maybe one of my grade school peers," Lily said and closed her eyes as if in pain.  
  
"Are you okay?" Remus asked wondering absently why he was about as worried about her as he would have been if James started spouting out curses of the Dark variety.  
  
Lily's left hand came up and she pressed on her temples. "Headache," Lily whispered through clenched teeth and suddenly seemed to go limp falling backwards onto her pillow.  
  
"Lily, Lily wake up!" Remus said and shook her lightly. She didn't wake. Remus jumped up and ran down the hall banging open Sirius' door. "Get up! Get dressed! Go check on Lily and try to wake her up. I have to get James," Remus said not even glancing at the couple who had been sleeping peacefully in each others' arms. Remus finished his dash down the hall to James' room wondering why he hadn't already raced down the hall to Lily's room. He threw open the door shouting James' name but no sound was heard, not Remus and not the door crashing against the wall. "Damnit!" Remus said and couldn't think of the counter charm. He flicked on the lights with a wave of his wand and shook James awake.  
  
James sat up when Remus' hand clamped tightly around his forearm and saw the wide eyed look of horror on his face. "What?" James asked as he tried to clamor out of bed and realized that in his tiredness he had silenced not only the door but the whole bloody room. He grabbed his wand and said the counter charm. "What's wrong?"  
  
Remus was breathing hard and James only caught a few words. "Lily.. nightmare.. headache.. unconscious.. St. Mungo's."  
  
James' eyes widened and he grabbed his wand, glasses, jeans and a shirt and ran down the hall and into Lily's room in under ten seconds.  
  
Author's Note: I hope that you all liked this chapter. Please review! I write this for all of you to read and I really appreciate your support or criticism. Thank you very much! ~Frankie~ 


	25. A Trip to St Mungo's

Author's Note: Hey guys, I'm getting better at my updating habits. Though, you're probably going to be frustrated with me for not putting something in this chapter that I know you're all aching for. I've got a few new reviewers and that pleases me. Look for your name in the Thank yous:  
  
Bell- Heh, I think I should make you all wait a little longer. hmm, maybe, depends. You have to read the chapters! I'm glad you loved it, and I'm glad I made a successful cliffie.  
  
Anarane Anwamane- Yes, poor Lily. I wonder how she's going to get out of this one. The question is, does the author even know?  
  
Midnight-Shadow- Hmm, I had to end it there. My fingers hurt from typing so much. It is obvious isn't it? *sighs* It gets more obvious, and there's fluff coming.  
  
Iou- I'm sorry that my chapters are so short; I'm trying to make them longer. Thank you for the compliment, I am extremely glad you liked it.  
  
Elfin Child- *watches Marauders fall* Thank you, I'm glad you like the chapter. I am wondering the same thing, what is up with Lily and that head of hers?  
  
Mockingbird- Sorry about the chapter length. I'm hoping to make them longer, but it will require a little more work from my end. I'm glad you like it though.  
  
Littlegoober- Thank you, I'm hoping to get the chapters out faster and I'm trying to work on it a little every day.  
  
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur- Hey, its good to hear from you again. I'm glad that you still like it. Let me know if anything is too cheesy or soap opera- like, that is one of my upcoming worries.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- I'm glad you like it. Dying for more eh? Looks like I'm going to have to keep writing more often!  
  
Spunkygabi- I'm absolutely thrilled that you think it's interesting and original. I'm also very happy that you find it fun. Thank you for the wonderful review!  
  
Quitesirius- Thank you for reading. To be quite honest I cannot remember "Abracadabra" and I think I might go back and read it again. I know there are a few errors in the previous chapters, but I'm a lazy one and I don't want to go back through all the chapters and look, so I try to catch them all the first time through and unless they're major or possibly obscene I leave them be.  
  
Sharmeen- I'm delighted that the summary drew you in. I was hoping it would, but no one ever said anything about it. So, I thank you for reading and I'm glad you like it. I've added you to the mailing list in my files, so as soon as this is ready to publish you shall get an email.  
  
Well, I hope you all like this chapter even though it's kind of a filler chapter, but there are some important details in here! So be aware of them! I hope you pick up on them. Please review! And remember, I don't own much of anything! It's all the wonderful J.K. Rowling's magical creation! ~Frankie~  
  
Oh, and a side note! Happy Birthday to the brilliant J.K. Rowling and to Harry Potter!  
  
Chapter Twenty-Five: A Trip to St. Mungo's  
  
Arabella was pacing in the center of the room looking flustered and alarmed. James glanced beyond her to find Lily's bed empty. "Where is she?" James asked frantically and pulled his jeans on barely taking the time to fasten them.  
  
"Sirius made a portkey to St. Mungo's and took Lily with him the moment we couldn't wake her. He said to meet him there," Arabella said hurriedly as James pulled on his shirt fastening only about half of the buttons.  
  
No more words were needed; all three of them apparated instantly and appeared moments later outside of the building that held the magical hospital. A sharp gasp told them they'd had a witness to their sudden appearing act. An old muggle in shabby clothes was standing wide eyed on the on the street barely a block from them. He was obviously homeless and even though no one would believe him if he were to tell the tale, James had no qualms about modifying his memory to forget what he'd witnessed. James was careful not to over do it and the man went toddling of in the opposite direction.  
  
Looking around quickly James saw no one else and stepped close the glass window of a department store that was in disrepair by the name of Purge & Dowse Ltd. and said clearly, "We're here to see Lily Evans," and an old ugly mannequin just beyond nodded curtly and beckoned a jointed finger at them. They stepped through what felt like a sheet of cool water and emerged on the other side in a slightly busy reception area where a few witches and wizards were seated in rickety chairs with various ailments. James strode forward purposely to the receptionists desk and asked, "Could you tell us where Lily Evans would be?"  
  
The bored looking witch scanned a long list of names, "Lily Evans is currently on second floor, third door on the left, Dilys Derwent Ward," the witch said and went back to her crossword.  
  
"Thank you," James said and hurried toward the stairs and practically ran up them. Sirius was stating outside the third door looking frustrated. "Where is she?" James asked anxiety building painfully in his stomach.  
  
"In there," Sirius said and pointed. "When I told them that I didn't know what was wrong with her they pushed her out the door and told me to wait. They don't like me too much at the moment," Sirius said and Arabella noticed that his hand was slightly bruised.  
  
"What did you do?" Arabella asked in a disapproving voice.  
  
"I punched the wall," Sirius said sheepishly.  
  
A second later a frantic looking healer came out of the room and looked pointedly at Sirius. "I though I told you to go up to the tearoom," he said and looked very disgruntled.  
  
"Are you Lily's healer?" James asked quickly.  
  
"Yes, and you are?" the man asked in an agitated manner.  
  
"James Potter," James answered as politely as he could, though it was a chore.  
  
"Do you know why the girl won't wake up? Or why she's unconscious in the first place?" he asked and James, Sirius and Arabella looked at Remus.  
  
Remus glanced at his friends and the healer who were looking expectantly at him and said, "I was with her when it happened," he looked at James then and he seemed as if he was going to pounce on him and strangle him.  
  
"What happened? Please start at the beginning," the healer said calmly masking his agitation.  
  
"I was about to walk into my room when I heard Lily calling out in her sleep. I went to check on her and she was thrashing around violently, clearly having a nightmare and I woke her up and calmed her down," Remus said and looked again at James and he couldn't tell if James was going to kick his arse or his own. "Then I asked her what the dream had been about and she told me it was about V-er- He-who-must-not-be-named questioning her and threatening Alice Prewitt," Remus said and at the mention of Alice the healer looked horrified.  
  
"Alice Prewitt? Are you sure?" he asked.  
  
"Er-yes, why?" Remus asked looking confused.  
  
"She's my second cousin. I'm Daniel Prewitt," he said and the man looking momentarily frightened before clearing his features and motioning for Remus to continue.  
  
"Anyway. I asked Lily who she meant by Alice and she became frustrated and looking at me like I was crazy for asking that question. That's when she told me she was talking about Alice Prewitt and that she was engaged to Frank Longbottom," Remus paused and cleared his throat before continuing. "Then I asked her when she'd met Alice and Frank, but before that she had looked slightly glassy-eyed and when she answered she was confused, stating that she didn't know anyone named Alice or Frank. That's when she closed her eyes in pain, put her hand up to her temples and complained of a headache. She passed out and fell backwards on to her pillow and when I couldn't wake her I rushed to get them," Remus finished his tale and looked around at the others.  
  
James looked furious, but whether it was with Remus or himself would have to wait until later. Sirius and Arabella were looking slightly frightened and Arabella was holding Sirius' uninjured hand so tightly her knuckles were white.  
  
Daniel Prewitt nodded briefly and walked back into the room where Lily was. James made to follow. "Please wait either out here or up in the tearoom," Daniel said pleadingly to them.  
  
James was about to barge through the door when Sirius laid a hand on James' shoulder and James stopped. "Let's go upstairs," James said and they made their way up the three flights of stairs to the fifth floor tearoom.  
  
They all sat down in the almost empty tearoom, the only other person there was a disshelved looking man with blonde hair who was sobbing into his hands. None of the four even looked at him and the man didn't look at or even recognize their presence.  
  
James was currently furious with himself for casting the silencing charm and for not being the one to have helped Lily. Remus had been there to help her out of the dream and Sirius had taken her to St. Mungo's. He'd done nothing to help and he felt that there wasn't anything he could do. Helpless and frustrated James got up and began to pace.  
  
Arabella watched James' attempt to use up some of his pent up energy and knew that James was completely and utterly in love with Lily. It was that simple, but it made Arabella wonder what he was thinking and she realized that he must be blaming himself for not being there to help her. Arabella sighed and absently fiddled with the necklace she was wearing before she realized just which necklace it was. She quickly slipped her hand from Sirius' grasp, unfastened the clasp and examined the crystal pendant.  
  
"Bella?" Sirius asked looking confused and James looked at her wondering why the necklace was so important.  
  
"The charm I gave Lily, this is its counterpart," Arabella said holding up the misty white crystal. "She's not in mortal danger," Arabella said thought she swallowed slightly as the crystal became completely clear and the lights flickered briefly. "They took it off her," Arabella said looking horrified, James' eyes widened and he sprinted toward the stairs and took them about four at a time, almost falling many times before he got to the second floor. He got to the room and saw Daniel holding the necklace.  
  
"You've got to put her necklace back on," James said breathing heavily with his hands on his knees.  
  
"Why?" Daniel asked bewildered eyeing the necklace in his hand suspiciously.  
  
"If she has any sort of emotional fluctuation and she's not wearing that necklace she could wind up blowing up this whole building and everyone in it to smithereens!" James exclaimed quietly and felt Sirius, Remus and Arabella's presence behind him.  
  
Daniel looked perplexed and seemed very reluctant to follow James' orders. A strong voice came from behind Arabella and she almost jumped out of her shoes. "You really do want to listen to James, Daniel."  
  
"Oh my! Albus, you startled me," Arabella said and Daniel nodded briefly and walked into the room. Dumbledore followed and beckoned the others into the room.  
  
Authors Note: Did you pick up on the hints? There's something specific I'm hinting at and I'm wondering if anyone picked up on it! Please let me know what you think in a review and I'll tell you if you're right! ~Frankie~ 


	26. St Mungo's Part 2, aka, The Chapter wo a...

Author's Note: Hello all my wonderful readers! I am so sorry that it has been more then just the few days that I promised. *Thwacks self on head* I got obsessed with Yahoo! Chat and wasn't paying attention to obligations. Anyways, here is the DISCLAIMER: I do not own a single one of the characters except for those that you do not recognize, like Daniel Prewitt. Everything else is J.K. Rowling's wonderful creation. And the long list of thank yous is here:  
  
The Elfin Child- *Looks into hole in the floor to speak to you* Well, the blonde dude is correct, but the random homeless guy, is just a random homeless guy at the moment and I doubt he will become anything more. Again, I apologize for the shortness.  
  
Mockingbird- Hmm, I wonder if Lily should blow up the place. WAHAHA! No, she will not. Don't worry. Thank you ^_^.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- Sorry, that I haven't been updating. I'll try to be better. *sniffles and picks you up off the floor* Here ya go.  
  
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur- Hmm, I'm just gonna call you CapriceAnn from now on. And yes, the dishelved man will be identified, though I had hoped that someone would guess who it was. I'm glad you liked it.  
  
Anarane Anwamane- Yes, he does, doesn't he? I love him, he's great. Thank you, I'm glad you think its 'excellent'.  
  
Sharmeen- Hey, thank you, and you're welcome. I'm glad Sirius and Bella is sweet instead of scary. heh. I hope you like this chapter as well.  
  
Kira- Lol, nice use of song lyrics. I am glad you enjoyed it. I hope that you like this chapter as well.  
  
Bell- FF.net has been acting so oddly! I was reading and reviewing and I went to my history to look something up and a story I'd reviewed wasn't there at all! I was so pissed. Anyways, yes, it is the blond man. *sighs* I'd though you'd for sure get it. no one has, but then I am assuming St. Mungo's is where they take the er. deceased. That should help you a little bit. Thank you as always for reviewing!  
  
Ggal- Hmm, twist? Which one? Lol. I hope you enjoy this chapter, thank you for the review!  
  
Zebragirl- Sorry about the mental picceh. There's more L/J action coming. And about Remus, *sighs* I have no idea. About the only way would be self insertion and I try to stay away from those and be strictly by the book. I will think on it and let you know. Though, there shall be a sort of party, maybe he will get some sort of relationship there.  
  
John Surber- Thank you, I simply loved your review! I'm glad you like the idea, and the writing and all the other things you said. Thank you very much and I hope you like the next chapter and come up with more constructive things to say.  
  
Midnight-shadow- I'm glad you liked it.  
  
Everblue3- I'm glad you liked it, I'm trying to expand everything, and by the way, I never stated what time period that Lily was dreaming about this last time. In honor of you I shall try to expand the characters in feeling more, as I have been slightly rushed as of late. Let me know if I succeed.  
  
Isis Stormwing- Cliffhanger? What Cliffhanger? Just kidding, I'm glad though that you didn't see it coming. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.  
  
Chapter Twenty-Six: St. Mungo's Part Two, aka, The Chapter With No Creative Name  
  
Lily was lying in a bed by the window. Her expression was that of someone who was in pain. James rushed over to her side and grasped her hand gently in his as Daniel replaced the necklace and Arabella glanced at the one in her hand which became a misty and veined white once again.  
  
Dumbledore sighed and bowed his head looking tired. "I was afraid this would happen," he said.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" James asked with a quiver in his voice that he couldn't suppress.  
  
"In a way she had a mental overload. Am I right when I say that something happened where she was asked a question that involved someone or something that she shouldn't have known but did?" Dumbledore asked quietly and Remus looked horror struck. "It's no ones fault," Dumbledore said firmly eyeing James and Remus in particular. "It would have happened eventually, I just had hoped it would happen later if at all," he explained and sighed removing his half-moon shaped glasses and rubbing his eyes.  
  
"What can we do?" James asked still worried, wondering if Lily would ever wake up.  
  
"Wait. It's kind of like a Muggle ailment called a coma. Since it was as if it was self initiated, she will come out of it when she's ready to deal with her knowledge of that which she shouldn't know, or when she feels as if she is greatly needed for something," Dumbledore said quietly.  
  
James became very quiet, it was almost unearthly and he bowed his head and his shoulders slumped. Horrible thoughts came creeping into his mind as horrible thoughts always do when you're worried. Sirius found himself wanting to comfort his best friend but Arabella held him back. The look in her eyes told him to let James have a moment to himself.  
  
Dumbledore spoke up, "I think it might be wise to give James some time alone while Remus explains exactly what happened." Remus nodded and they headed back up to the tearoom leaving James relatively alone with Lily. As soon as the door had closed behind the others James let go of his emotional restraint and cried for the first time since his parents and grandparents had died.  
  
Upstairs in the tearoom Remus quietly explained what had happened during Lily's nightmare and just after it. Everyone knew that Remus blamed himself for Lily's current condition and only Dumbledore dared to protest as the other two had no idea what to say to help him. "Remus, don't blame yourself for what happened. We all have curiosities and if you hadn't of asked she might have gone into this coma but we wouldn't have had the reasoning behind it," he said and his words were punctuated by a loud sob from the blonde man in the corner. They all looked toward him, but Sirius was the first to recognize him.  
  
"Peter?" Sirius called out in a dumbfounded voice and the man looked up. His face was red and his eyes were bloodshot, he didn't seem to recognize them and he wiped at his eyes and looked again.  
  
"Sirius?" Peter Pettigrew whispered and Sirius jumped up and walked across the room to crouch in front of Peter. "Oh Merlin, it is you. I thought I was hallucinating," Peter muttered and wiped his eyes and sniffled again.  
  
"Yes Peter it's me. What's wrong?" Sirius asked and the others moved closer to them.  
  
"My Gran. S-she's d-d-dead. H-He killed her," Peter stuttered and collapsed into more hysterical sobbing.  
  
"Who killed your Grandmother, Peter?" Dumbledore asked firmly, though he was certain he knew the answer.  
  
"You-Know-Who!" Peter screeched and sobbed more so that even Arabella felt sorry for him.  
  
"When?" Dumbledore asked quietly.  
  
"She wanted some peanuts, the muggle ones; she always loved the muggle ones. She told me to get her some. I had to go into town to find a store that was open and when I got back. His Mark was in the sky. J-just f- floating there and they were gone and Ministry was there. S-she's d-dead!" Peter screeched the last words and fell forward onto Sirius's shoulder sobbing raucously.  
  
None of them hear the door to the tearoom open above Peter's sobs until a healer was standing next to Remus with a large dose of a potion to calm Peter. "Here Mr. Pettigrew, take this it will calm you down," the healer said and Peter took hold of the vial and drank the potion. He gave them all a vague smile before he slumped over sideways in the chair. The healer gave a sigh and Transfigured the chair into a cot and drew up a curtain to hide him from view. "He'll wake in a few hours, don't worry," the healer said and left the room.  
  
Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment before the look turned grim, and Remus voiced what he was thinking. "Why would Voldemort kill Peter's Gran?"  
  
Sirius and Arabella shook their heads in unison and Sirius whispered as if there was someone in the room listening, "I don't know."  
  
Dumbledore spoke quietly, "Wilhelmina Pettigrew was never in her life a supporter of the Dark Arts and this is a sad, sad day for the wizarding community." They nodded and tried to wait patiently for James to either come upstairs with good news or to let them know he was okay.  
  
After James had stopped crying and wiped his eyes he looked at Lily and began to speak. "I don't know if you can hear me or if you even know I'm here but I am." He trailed off because he didn't know what to say. He started to think of negative things. 'What if she doesn't wake up? What if she doesn't feel needed enough to wake up? What if she doesn't wake up because she doesn't know if anyone cares about her?' James didn't notice the tears that were starting to fall from his eyes and slowly slip down his face to land on Lily's hand. "Lily, I don't know if you can hear me, but I hope that you can because I need you to know that I care about you. I didn't realize that I did until I wasn't there to help you. Lily, I need you, please wake up. I need you," he said and he lay his head down on the bed repeating 'I need you,' over and over again until he fell asleep.  
  
Author's Note: Hmm, short chappie. Really short chappie! ARGH! I will be attempting to make them longer but I'm not sure how readily I will succeed. I hope you like it. There is more L/J action here, and there is more coming soon. *sighs* Again, I apologize for the shortness but if I you review and have any suggestions I might incorporate them into the plot! Please Review!! ~Frankie~ 


	27. The Inability to Lie

Author's Note: Hello all my dear friends and readers. I am glad to inform you that this is an update! Sorry, I am suffering from the condition known as insomnia and I thought I would give you all an update while watching Dead Poets Society. So, I give you the thank yous and then the next chapter of the story.  
  
Bell- Make James understand what? That just confuses me! But I'm glad you liked the chapter any who.  
  
Anarane- I'm glad you liked the chapter.  
  
Ggal- Pettigrew is a git isn't he? I wish I could kill him off but that would serve no purpose for staying as close to cannon as possible. Thank you for your wonderful compliments. I'm glad you think it is wonderful.  
  
Elfin Child- *watches as the evil Marauders carry you away "Don't forget the pixy stix guys!"* I'm sorry that it was so short. My friend Teegs is anticipating the next time she gets the hiccups now, and I know she will use your cure. *smiles*  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- Why do you think Moldy Voldie killed Peter's Gran? The hints are in the previous chapters and the absolute answers are in the coming chapters.  
  
AznGurl2- I'm glad you think it is amazing, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.  
  
Zebragurl- *thanks you for Lily for the chocolate frogs* I'm doing some thinking about the whole Remus thing, but I'm not sure if I will get anything done. I might write a whole other fic about my theory. sheesh, so many fic ideas in the making. I'm sorry that you feel sorry for Peter. but that was the idea.  
  
MegHarts- Long time no see! I'm glad to see your back! Thank you for the review!  
  
I O U a name- I'm glad you like my story, and that you're looking forward to more. Thank you very much.  
  
I hope you all like this chapter because I am not really that happy with it now that I have typed it up. *sighs* I feel like it could be much better, but I do not know how to make it better. If anyone has any suggestions, please, please let me know! I'm approaching writers block and I'm not sure how to get past it!! I need your help! Thank you so much for your input ahead of time! ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Inability to Lie  
  
Upstairs Sirius had begun to pace. "I can't take it anymore. I'm going to go see if James is alright," he said and headed down the stairs with Remus and Arabella in tow. Dumbledore had told them to contact him at The Leaky Cauldron when Lily was awake. Sirius entered the room and began to speak, "Alright James, you--," he stopped in his tracks looking at the bed where Lily was lying with James sprawled halfway on the bed and halfway in the chair right next to it.  
  
"Shh!" Lily said quietly, "He needs his sleep," she whispered her hand still clasped in James'.  
  
"How long have you been awake?" Arabella asked voicing Sirius' thoughts and walking forward quietly so as not to disturb James.  
  
"Not long. I heard James talking and then he fell asleep and he looked like he needed it with the circles under his eyes," Lily whispered and gently passed a hand over James' head.  
  
Sirius and Remus walked over and Remus looked confused. "What circles?" he asked, voicing the thoughts of both Sirius and Arabella.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes and said, "The circles that make him look like he got into a fight with a troll. The ones that signify a lack of sleep." Sirius and Remus exchanged dubious glances while Arabella pulled out her wand and whispered, "Finite Incantatum." Remus' eyes widened and Sirius gave a gasp. "He's been using glamours to cover up the circles. Merlin, He looks like hell," Arabella said and put her wand away.  
  
Arabella was indeed correct when she stated that James looked like hell; his eyes were surrounded by deep blue circles and there seemed to be worry lines etched deeply on his face that weren't just from Lily's incident.  
  
"Why would he cover that up?" Sirius asked and his face took on a look of worry for his best friend.  
  
"He doesn't want us to worry about him. I bet he thinks if he appears to be strong to us that we won't worry about him as much as if he shows weakness," Remus said quietly and Sirius looked rather horrified.  
  
"Codswallop! I worry about him every day with that job of his," Sirius said angrily and James began to stir.  
  
"Don't say anything!" Lily whispered and looked at Sirius firmly and he gave an undignified, "Humph!" which combined with Lily's voice caused James to sit up and rub at his eyes.  
  
"Ow," James muttered to himself not seeing Sirius, Remus and Arabella standing around Lily's bed.  
  
"James," Lily said and watched as his head whipped toward her and his jaw dropped open.  
  
"You're awake?" James asked and Lily nodded. "I'm not dreaming?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"You're not," Lily said and pinched him to prove it.  
  
"Ow," James said and rubbed his arm where she'd pinched him.  
  
"I'll go get Daniel," Arabella said and walked quickly out of the room.  
  
"Remus and I need to go let Dumbledore know that Lily's awakened," Sirius said and grabbed Remus' shoulder practically dragging him out of the room.  
  
Now that they were alone James seemed as if he was even more tired then he'd looked while sleeping. "Are you okay?" James asked quietly and squeezed Lily's hand gently as if trying to make sure that she was really awake.  
  
"I think so, but I'm more worried about you," Lily said firmly sounding remarkably like James' old Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall.  
  
"What? Why would you need to worry about me?" James asked trying to sound confused.  
  
"You're not sleeping well, if at all, and you worry too much," Lily said in a no-nonsense tone of voice.  
  
"What are you talking about? I sleep," James said confidently.  
  
"The circles under your eyes tell a different tale," Lily said and pursed her lips reaching out with one hand to trace them gently.  
  
"What circles?" James asked and tried to sound surprised but Lily's fingers on his face made keeping a poker-face difficult.  
  
"Don't lie to me James, I can see right through them and that glamour," Lily said, lowering her hand and raising her eyebrows.  
  
James was about to protest again but Daniel came scurrying over to Lily's bedside and began checking her out to see if she was really okay. "Alright, everything seems to be normal, but we would like to keep you here till morning to make sure that you don't have a relapse Miss Evans," Daniel said firmly to Lily even though he was staring at James.  
  
"Alright," James agreed and made his conditions known, "But as soon as the sun is up I want her discharged and ready to go home," he said and was very stern in the tone of his voice and Daniel threw up his arms in exasperation and muttered "Fine" before leaving the room.  
  
As soon as Daniel was gone James turned back to Lily and asked, "How did you know about the glamour?"  
  
Lily sighed and closed her eyes for a moment and said, "I've seen the circles and the worry etches in your face since I met you James. I didn't know it was a glamour until you were sleeping and I said something about it to Arabella, Sirius and Remus." She paused for a moment and watched James go from shocked to angry. "Don't get angry! I thought they could see the signs too," Lily said quietly just as Sirius, Remus and Arabella returned.  
  
"Daniel says that you can go in the morning and that you should get some rest," Arabella said kindly and noticed the tension between James and Lily that hadn't been there before they had left the room. "James, Sirius, Remus. out! I would like to talk to Lily alone," she said and pulled James out of his seat and pushed him toward the door. "Go and see if Peter has come to yet," she said quietly waving her hands at them to usher them out of the room.  
  
James looked confused, "Peter? You mean Pettigrew? What's he doing here?" James asked as Arabella pushed him out the door and Sirius could be heard saying, "We'll explain up in the tearoom," before the door swung shut and Lily and Arabella were left alone.  
  
"Want to explain what happened while we were gone?" Arabella asked as she sat down in the chair that James had just vacated and waited for Lily to speak.  
  
"I told him I was worried about him and he asked why. I told him I knew he wasn't sleeping and he tried to pass it off and lie about the circles under his eyes," Lily said with a sigh and pulled her hair back out of her face with her hand before continuing. "I told him I could see through his lies like I could see through the glamour and he asked how I knew it was a glamour," she said with a sigh and rubbed at her temples lightly. "I find it almost impossible to lie to him and so I told him that I told you and the others," Lily said with a pained voice as she looked over at Arabella.  
  
Arabella grunted in an annoyed tone and said, "Give him a few hours. James has always had this thing about being outsmarted or found out. It hurts his pride but he gets over it," she sighed and took Lily's hand in hers gently.  
  
Lily sighed, "How long is it going to take for James to gain control of his pride?" she asked and rubbed her temples again.  
  
"Lily are you okay?" Arabella asked quickly prepared to yell for Daniel.  
  
"Just a headache," Lily said quietly still rubbing her temples.  
  
"Should I get Daniel?" Arabella asked a touch of fear in her voice.  
  
"I don't know," Lily said and looked toward the door slowly.  
  
"I'm getting Daniel. Don't move and yell if it gets worse," Arabella said and made a dash for the door. "Daniel! Get in here!" Arabella shouted when she got to the hallway.  
  
Daniel came running, "What is it?" he asked and jogged to Lily's bedside.  
  
"She said she had a headache," Arabella said looking fearfully at Lily who looked to be unconscious again.  
  
"Lily are you awake?" Daniel asked using her first name and squeezing her hand while checking her vitals.  
  
Lily didn't answer and was limp when Daniel raised her arm to test its tension. "Bloody Hell," Daniel murmured and tested a few different things before he said, "Relapse. If what Dumbledore said is true she either felt extremely overwhelmed with information or unneeded, even if it was subconsciously." Daniel looked at Arabella meaningfully, Arabella sighed and wordlessly left the room and headed to the tearoom to notify the guys of this most frightening development.  
  
A/N: Hey, I hope you all liked this chapter more then I liked it myself. Please let me know what you think of it. I need all the help that I can possibly muster! Please Review, you know you want to! ~Frankie~ 


	28. The Bad and The Good

Author's Note: Hello all! It's only been like four days since my last chapter, I feel spiffeh. Anyways, I don't have much to say regarding this chapter, but I hope you like it. Sleep is good, remember that. And the thank yous are as follows:  
  
Midnight Shadow of Insaneness- yes, the coma again, but all shall be okay, otherwise I would have to end this story here and that makes no sense because Harry isn't even around yet!  
  
I o u a name- Sorry as always for the shortness. I'll try to make the next one longer!  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- Good, I'm glad you don't pity Peter because he is a git and needs to die. *sighs* You're good at remembering things. I took a look at the lyrics to that song and you're right. So right that I was scared, especially in the stuff I'm writing at the moment. which is like a day ahead of this chapter. I might make it some time of journal entry of Lily's, who knows? Thank you for the wonderful reviews!  
  
MegHarts- Vacation eh? Where did you go? Anyways, sadly James shall not be getting any sleep after this chapter for quite a while. O_o. yes Lily can see right through him. remember that. it may become important I haven't decided yet.  
  
I HIT 200 REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU GUYS! You're all awesome!  
  
EbonyQuill- New reviewer! YAY! Sorry that your parents made you go to sleep, but I'm glad that you love it! So far Lily's condition is just spawned from all the overwhelming things that are going on. *must remember to put in another Voldie chapter* But anyways, thank you very much!  
  
Ggal- In the massive blackout eh? Where were you? Anyways, thank you, I'm glad your computer is back and that you liked the chapter, I guess I just thought it wasn't up to scratch or something. Meh.  
  
Poetbrit- James does have a temper; sadly it's going to get worse eventually. Lots of drama on its way. ^_^ Two reviews eh? Hmm, well, here you go, sorry my updating habits are unreliable.  
  
Ami N Aya- Don't worry, I have lots more just typing it all up. I'm into my third notebook now, so there doesn't seem to be a worry for anyone, except for my unpredictable updating habits.  
  
Bell- Yes James does have feeling for Lily. *shakes head* How else is Harry going to show up? Tut tut, you should know that. *smiles* Anyways, I'm glad you liked this one too!  
  
PinayAko- Thank you, I'm glad you think it's great.  
  
Mockingbirdflyaway- Thank you, and yes Harry will show up. I have to get the lovebirds together and then get them married and then have them. reproduce. so it's going to be a while! Be patient. good things come to those who wait.  
  
Well, I hope you all like this chapter, if you like fluff of the James/Lily variety you've come the right place and will be in this chapter. I plan to start making the chapters longer for the fact that everyone keeps asking. I hope I can make them longer at least. ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Bad and the Good  
  
On their way up to the tearoom James fumed silently and knew that Sirius and Remus knew about his scheme to keep them from worrying about him and wondered when they were going to question him about why he'd done it. To James' surprise they didn't bring it up, so James asked, "Why is Peter here? Is he okay?" He hoped that one of his closest friends hadn't had a run in with Voldemort.  
  
"It depends on your definition of okay," Remus said in a perturbed voice, he wasn't too happy with James hiding things from them but that wasn't the reason for his annoyance.  
  
Sirius shook his head, "Peter's Gran was killed James. He came home to find the Dark Mark above her house," he said and heard James' outraged cry.  
  
"Why wasn't he there?" James asked angrily. Wilhelmina Pettigrew has always been very kind to them and James saw no reason for an old and nearly senile woman to be killed. His analyst's mind was trying to grasp any possible reason why Voldemort would order her death as he certainly wouldn't do it himself. His Death Eaters were his lackies for a reason.  
  
"He was getting her peanuts. You know how demanding she was of him; if he hadn't done it there would have been hell to pay," Sirius said and pushed open the door to the tearoom where Peter was still lying on the cot and he didn't seem to have moved an inch.  
  
"Is he okay?" James asked looking slightly alarmed as he walked quickly over to the side of the cot.  
  
"One of the healers came in and gave him a calming potion, he must have added a sedative to it," Remus said still sounding a little perturbed. He sighed and said, "I'm still slightly annoyed with Peter for that comment."  
  
James sighed, "I know as am I, but we have to put it aside and help Peter with his grief," he said and touched Remus' shoulder in a friendly manner.  
  
Remus sighed, "I know and I will try, as long as he doesn't act like a buffoon," he said and his words were punctuated by the sound of the tearoom door opening and Arabella stepping inside looking grave.  
  
James looked over and saw in Arabella's eyes what he didn't want to hear. He felt like his chest had been rammed into with a concrete block and he had to force himself to take another breath. "Bella? Is something wrong?" Sirius asked just as James collapsed into a chair with a loud plop. Sirius looked back at James and saw the look of complete and utter horror; he didn't need the explanation any longer.  
  
"She's had a relapse," Arabella said dully and didn't notice the solitary tear slip down her cheek until Sirius was there and he brushed it away.  
  
"What happened?" Remus asked for James' benefit since he seemed beyond words at this point and was staring unblinkingly at a point on the wall across from his chair.  
  
"We were talking about things and she got a headache and started rubbing her temples and I went to get Daniel. By the time we got back to her bed she was unconscious," Arabella explain quietly.  
  
"It's my fault," James said in a barely audible voice.  
  
"Damn right it's your fault James! Now get your arse downstairs and fix it!" Arabella exclaimed in a rather hysterical voice and Sirius held her close while she sobbed. "Damnit! I don't understand these feelings!" she muttered.  
  
"None of us do, and the only conceivable explanation is downright insane," Remus said quietly.  
  
"Sometimes insanity is a virtue," Albus Dumbledore said from the doorway of the tearoom and Arabella jumped again, startled at the sound of his voice. "My apologies Bella. I seem to need to wear a cat's bell around my neck to announce my approach," he said in a mildly amused manner. He received grim smiles in return. "I take it by the presence of everyone here and James' stoic expression that Lily has had a relapse," Dumbledore said with a sigh and Remus nodded.  
  
James was still staring at the wall. Muggles call what James is feeling shock, but now we'll settle for disbelief. He wasn't aware of the conversation going on around him, nor the sudden appearance of Albus Dumbledore. The only thing he was aware of were Arabella's words to him and the last conversation he'd had with Lily where he'd been so very angry that he needn't have to have words with her, she just knew that he was pissed off. Arabella was right; in essence it was his fault. He'd made it seem as if he didn't want her to tell anyone anything about him and though that was true he should have known that they would have found out eventually. He shouldn't have been trying to hide things from them in the first place. Damn his pride to hell, he thought and no one noticed him slip from the room and walk mechanically down stairs to Lily's room.  
  
James reached Lily's room and but for her unconscious body there wasn't another soul in the room but him. He barely registered the dull slap of his shoes on the linoleum floor as he approached Lily's bed and sat down in the chair again. "Lily?" he whispered hoping it was all a dream; that she was just sleeping and would wake when she heard his voice. "Lily, please wake up?" he said but it seemed more like a question. His shoulders slumped, he felt horrible. "Arabella said it was my fault, and she's right. It's my fault that you're here in this hospital. I'm sorry that I was angry and that it seemed like I was mad at you, but I'm not. You just made me realize that I should have been honest with my friends. I had no right to be angry with you when I knew that they would find out eventually," James said and he rested his head on his crossed arms and stared at the blankets that were just a breath from his nose.  
  
"I wish that you would wake up Lily. I want you to wake up because I want to help you, and I want to keep Voldemort from getting anymore victories," he whispered and listened to her quiet breathing for a while trying to keep himself from falling asleep. For a moment he thought he had when he felt Lily's slim fingers toying with his already untidy hair. He looked up at her and through the darkness he saw her vibrant green eyes open and watching him while her auburn hair gathered and bunched around her shoulders. He thought he was dreaming, how could such an angel be lying there as if she were completely content just watching him. In that moment his breath caught and he barely managed to ask, "Am I dreaming?"  
  
"No, you're awake," Lily answered softly and her hand slid lightly down his face brushing his cheek with the backs of her fingers.  
  
"Are you okay?" James asked taking Lily's hand gently in his.  
  
"A little tired, but other then that I am fine," Lily answered and smiled at him slowly, the moonlight coming in the window lighting shadows on her face.  
  
"Do you want me to go?" James asked and silently hoped that she would not.  
  
Lily's answer was to move her blankets off her and move away from James' side of the bed but pulled him closer saying, "You need sleep."  
  
James felt all the blood drain from his head and his eyes go wide, an odd rushing sound filled his ears. "W-what?" he stuttered and felt Lily slap his arm playfully.  
  
"Are all guys' brains on one wavelength? Sheesh! I want to make sure you get some sleep, and besides that I won't feel obligated to stay awake," Lily said as if it explained everything.  
  
James looked at Lily and then down the bed. There was barely any room for Lily to move, the both of them would require talent. "How?" James asked still wide eyed.  
  
"We'll manage. Get up here, I'm tired," Lily said with a smirk and James swallowed unconsciously and tried to get his mind off the wavelength that Lily had been talking about as he sat on the bed and swung his legs up to mere inches from hers. Lily sighed and pushed James back so his head landed on the pillow near hers. "Slow poke," Lily muttered and laughed lightly as James blushed.  
  
"Have you done this before or something?" James asked as Lily began arranging limbs and blankets. She pushed his right arm up to lay at shoulder level and arranged herself so that her head was lying on his chest and her right hand was on his upper abdomen.  
  
"That question might normally offend me but the answer is no. I haven't done this with anyone," Lily said with a small smirk and listened to the sound of James' elevated heartbeat.  
  
"No one?" James asked again and looked down at the top of Lily's head which was suddenly replaced with her face as she looked up at him sleepily.  
  
"No one but you James," Lily whispered and gently kissed him. By the time James had realized Lily has kissed him she'd already pulled away and whispered, "Goodnight James, sweet dreams."  
  
"Sweet dreams Lily," James whispered, kissed the top of her sweet-smelling head and they both fell asleep within minutes.  
  
A/N: Whee! They Kissed! Aren't you proud of me? Muhahaha! Be happy, I was tempted to not have it in, but yeah. You get your spiffy kiss and I get to go write more in my notebook and figure out how to fix what I broke. O_o;; Hope you liked it! Please review! ~Frankie~ 


	29. Going Home

Author's Note: Hey guys. I decided to update today even though it is my 17th birthday, but I had nothing better to do. I have a much longer then usual chapter, so consider it my birthday gift to you. I hope you like it, there's a nice bit with Remus in it. *sighs* I love Remus; he's probably my favorite character. Anyways, here are the thank yous again:  
  
MegHarts- How was Michigan? No sleep, and a bit of a problem with Lily. O_o, but you didn't hear it from me. glad you liked the kiss.  
  
Midnights shadow of insaneness- thanks, glad you thought it was cute; this was as soon as I could get it.  
  
Droppedrose- She has more then one diary. in fact she's probably got more then five of them. She writes a lot and she left her most recent one with Bella, which I have to write back into the story. which I can do. thank you for reminding me. don't need random plotholes. they're evil. I'm sorry the chapter length is so short but this one is longer and good luck tomorrow at school!  
  
Ggal- That, I am sorry to say, is a random plothole. eep! Or actually its not. she felt like James was really angry at her and so she sort of slipped back into coma status. I hope that helps. and I know what you mean bout the blackout; we had one here last night. annoyance. Thank you for the great review!  
  
Bell- You're welcome for the fluff. but it might be lacking for a bit. O_o. I cannot say because it's a major plot development but yeah, you'll see.  
  
????- Thank you. I'm trying.  
  
Poetbrit- Yes, James' temper is going to hit a high point in one of the upcoming chapters. males, can't live with em, and can't live without em.  
  
Hart-break- Thanks, I'm glad. don't take this one day period of time as my normal updating style. I'm all over the place usually.  
  
PinayAko- Heh, you ask and you shall receive.  
  
Zebragirl- Yes! I'm keeping you guessing! You have no idea how pleased that makes me feel! And it's impossible for me to write anything without a real plot unless it's my Mocking Potter one. which there might be more of if I get around to writing it, but meh! *does a little victory dance* I have to get Voldie back into the story. even if he's constantly lurking there. at the moment I'm trying to concentrate on L/J and work in the evil butt randomly.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- Yes, they did. and I think that's the last time you're gonna see it for a while. *cackles* I have the basic story in my head, but I keep working in problems. I'm trying to make it real I guess, not some fairy tale, because despite my belief in L/J eternally, I think love is a bankrupt concept. but yeah. next topic please.  
  
I o u a name- I hope the length of this one is pleasing, it's technically got two of my normal chapters in it. so be happy! It's my birthday and I feel nice! I'm glad you thought it was sweet.  
  
Anarane- Thank you.  
  
Hmm, well now, on with the story I guess. Please read the end notes, I have a couple things I need to ask. ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Going Home  
  
Approximately twenty minutes after James disappeared Arabella noticed his absence. "Where's James?" she asked and looked around the tea room.  
  
Dumbledore smiled and said, "He probably went down to see Lily." But any further speculation on the matter was interrupted by the sound of Peter falling off his cot and Sirius rushing over to help him up.  
  
"Peter are you okay?" Sirius asked helping the drowsy young man to sit on the cot.  
  
"I feel like I've been run over by the Hogwarts Express," Peter muttered and rubbed the gook out of his eyes.  
  
"That sometimes happens with some calming potions," Dumbledore said quietly even though he knew it was from the sedative that the healer had probably put in the potion in the first place.  
  
"Where am I?" Peter asked as he looked around not recognizing where he was.  
  
"St. Mungo's," Remus said quietly and Peter's eyes widened in horror.  
  
"I-I thought i-it w-was a n-nightmare," Peter said as tears slipped down his face and he covered his eyes again.  
  
"It's okay Peter," Arabella said sadly, ever her dislike of him put behind her as she watched his grief for his grandmother swamp him.  
  
"Have you notified your parents?" Dumbledore asked and Peter shook his head. "Then I will go owl them for you," he replied and walked toward the door. "I will meet you all in Lily's room," he said quietly and walked out of the tearoom heading for St. Mungo's owlery to see if they had notified Peter's father.  
  
Peter looked up from his hands looking surprised. "Lily? What's wrong with her?"  
  
"Headaches," Arabella said quickly, "Very painful ones." Even though Peter was grieving she still didn't trust him as far as she could throw him.  
  
"I imagine that's where James is then," Peter said quietly and wiped away more of his tears on his shirt.  
  
"Yes," Sirius said and threw a curious glance at Arabella who shrugged. "We should probably go and see how she's doing," Sirius said and helped Peter to his feet. They walked slowly out of the tearoom and down to Lily's room and Remus felt an odd pang in his chest as he looked down the stairs where Sirius was helping Peter who had tripped and stumbled down the stairs.  
  
Arabella entered the room first and gasped at what she saw. The sun was just coming up and its pale light was shining upon Lily and James' sleeping forms, making them look as if they glowed. They were completely wrapped up in one another and they looked as if they couldn't be happier. Even the worry in James' face was completely dissolved. "What's wrong?" Sirius asked moving quickly into the room at the sound of Arabella's gasp.  
  
"They just look, well, perfect," Arabella said with a sigh and leaned against the door jam smiling happily.  
  
Sirius and Remus exchanged glances and muttered, "Women," in the same tone of voice receiving smacks from Arabella along with a scowl.  
  
"We should let them sleep," Arabella said quietly as she looked back at them and her face took on that serene look again.  
  
"Yeah, we should," Sirius said remembering how tired James had looked after Arabella had removed the glamour. "But this is entirely too tempting you know," Sirius said and glanced at Remus.  
  
"I wouldn't advise it Paddy," Remus said eyeing the expression on Arabella's face.  
  
"You'd better not do a thing to wake them Sirius Black," Arabella said harshly her eyes ablaze with rage.  
  
"I shan't do a thing my dear sweet Bella, I shan't do a thing," Sirius said innocently and brought Arabella close to him and began to tickle her. This caused Arabella to shriek with uncontrollable laughter and sink to the floor in her attempts to fend him off.  
  
"Siri-us, k-knock it off!" Arabella said through her peels of laughter that brought Daniel to the doorway.  
  
"What in the name of Merlin is going on?" Daniel asked loudly, which in combination with Arabella's laughter caused James to awaken, followed by Lily who woke when James moved to sit up.  
  
"What on earth are you doing to Bella, Padfoot?" James asked tiredly and rubbed at his eyes behind his glasses.  
  
"Tickling her, what did you think I was doing Prongs my friend?" Sirius asked as he helped Arabella to her feet.  
  
"Oh you! Now they're awake!" Arabella said and punched Sirius in the shoulder.  
  
"What are you doing in Miss Evans bed?" Daniel asked now that his attention was focused on James.  
  
"Er- sleeping," James said and looked curiously at Daniel.  
  
"Well of all the-," Daniel began but was interrupted by Lily. "Really Daniel, I don't think you need to comment. I wanted James to get some sleep without getting a crick in his neck. It's as simple as that," she aid looking rather annoyed.  
  
"You're awake! Why wasn't I notified?" Daniel asked haughtily looking at James in a agitated manner.  
  
Lily stared at Daniel, "It would have ruined the lovely moment. Now I'm awake and you can do whatever sort of tests you need to do and then I would like to go home," she said sternly and focused her most annoyed glare at Daniel who swallowed unconsciously. James climbed off the bed, he was getting goggly eyes from Sirius and a curious look form Peter and he had no desire to let either of them continue.  
  
Daniel quickly checked Lily over muttering about conspiratorial patients and their visitors before leaving the room to sulk and sign Lily's discharge papers. Lily grinned to herself and Daniel muttered and rolled her eyes at some of his comments. "Yay, the lout is gone! I want out of here!" she said and James smiled at her.  
  
"You'll be out soon and then we can all go home and get some rest," James said with a sigh.  
  
"Sleep you mean. I want to see you sleeping James Potter," Lily said and James sighed knowing that he'd have to tell her that he needed to go into the office that morning.  
  
"Peter are you alright?" James asked quietly changing the subject.  
  
"Been better," Peter muttered with a sigh.  
  
"Do you have a place to stay?" James asked in an obligatory manner.  
  
"I'll probably stay at The Leaky Cauldron until I find a place," Peter said not really caring one wit about whether he was staying anywhere.  
  
James looked over at Lily and she said, "Why don't you stay with us? That's if James doesn't protest of course," and she looked at him curiously.  
  
James smiled, "I've no problem with it but are you sure you want to cook for everyone?" He didn't want Lily to go into another relapse from stress or anything.  
  
"I took the job James, I intend to fulfill all its requirements," Lily said brightly and smiled at Peter who shifted uncomfortably in his place.  
  
"I don't want to be a burden," Peter said quickly not wanting to seem overly eager at the invitation.  
  
"Oh you won't!" James and Lily said at the same time while Sirius, Remus and Arabella all exchanged glances before bursting into hysterical laughter.  
  
"Did I miss a good joke?" Dumbledore asked from the door looking amused. Arabella jumped at the sound of his voice again almost toppling Sirius right into Remus.  
  
Arabella laughed loudly a second later, "Oh, I know what to get you for Christmas," she said with one hand clutching at her neck.  
  
"What?" Peter asked looking confused.  
  
"It's no good telling him now, it will ruin the surprise," Arabella said lightly.  
  
"Lily, how wonderful to see you awake," Dumbledore said with a smile as he walked closer to Lily's bedside.  
  
"Thank you Professor," Lily said as if automatically.  
  
Dumbledore managed to suppress any surprise at this but just said, "Call me Albus please," and Lily smiled and nodded.  
  
"Of course, but may I ask what you're doing here?" Lily said quietly and unconsciously smoothed out her hair.  
  
"I find your situation interesting Lily and I wish you help you make a smooth transition into the wizarding world," Dumbledore said with a smile.  
  
"I think it might be best if we discussed this in a private setting," James said eyeing the doorway where Daniel was trying to be inconspicuous. Dumbledore looked over sternly and Daniel disappeared.  
  
"We'll wait to talk about this until we're at Godric's Hollow," Dumbledore said quietly and soon there after Daniel came in and said Lily was free to go.  
  
They took the violently purple, triple-decker Knight Bus back to Godric's Hollow and Lily decided it was definitely not her favorite way to travel. The others seemed perfectly at ease with the fact that the bus magically jumped across the country and the tables and chairs slid backward and forward with every stop making Lily feel slightly sick.  
  
When they got to James' house everyone was anticipating a shower. It was only around seven in the morning and everyone but Dumbledore was exhausted. "Peter, the room across from Remus' is clean and ready for someone to stay in," Lily said with a smile to Peter.  
  
"Thank you Lily," Peter said in a sad tone for voice  
  
"Not a problem Peter, go on and clean up. You'll probably feel a little better after a warm shower," Lily said and headed up the stairs with James right behind her. She stopped when she got to the landing. "Are you walking behind me for a reason, or just enjoying the view?" she asked with a smirk.  
  
James blushed, "I'm still worried about you," he said quietly.  
  
"Don't. I'm fine and you have enough to worry about," Lily said and pushed him in the general direction of his room.  
  
"Anxious to get rid of me I see," James said teasingly.  
  
"You need to shave, so go take a shower," Lily said and walked in the direction of her room as James sighed and walked into his room, closing the door behind him. Lily passed Sirius' room and heard Arabella giggle; she really didn't want to know and stopped in front of Remus' open door. "Hey Remus," she said. He was sitting on his bed staring out the window and she looked up at her when she spoke.  
  
"Hi Lily," Remus said and unconsciously brushed his hair out of his face.  
  
"Are you alright?" Lily asked walking into the room and sitting down across from him.  
  
"I've been better, and I've been worse," Remus replied honestly.  
  
Lily sighed; she could practically read his mind. "Don't blame yourself for what happened. Anyone would have been curious if I'd spouted out information that I shouldn't know to them," she said calmly.  
  
Remus sighed and shook his head. "But I am responsible. If I hadn't asked what Alice you were talking about none of this would have happened," he said and looked disappointed with himself.  
  
"Any of the others would have too! It would have happened eventually as long as I hadn't accepted the information in my dreams to be truth, at least of a sort. I have to accept that subconsciously I know things about all of you that I shouldn't, this was an example. And the tomatoes too," Lily said and lay a comforting hand on Remus' knee.  
  
Remus felt a perfect opportunity had arrived. "Is there anything more about me that you know?" he asked and watched as Lily smiled.  
  
"We're talking about something specific aren't we?" Lily asked turning serious.  
  
Remus closed his eyes briefly. "Yes, I am," he said and hoped for the first time in his life that she already knew what he was.  
  
"Let me think for a moment," Lily said and closed her own eyes. A dozen different pictures flashed before he eyes one stuck out and she concentrated on it.  
  
Remus was younger, but only by a few years and looked scared, no, not scared, down right horrified. Lily felt like she was watching a movie with the sound turned down really low. She noticed that he looked as if he was getting sick and it wasn't the first time it had happened.  
  
Lily opened her eyes and was calm. "I figured it out, third year. You were sick a lot and never in the hospital wing, gone for a few days but always with an excuse," Lily paused for a moment. "I wanted to know if I could help and so I looked it up. There was only really one possibility and so I confronted you after Defense Against the Dark Arts, pulling you away from James, Sirius and Peter. Sirius whistled and made comments about me dragging you into a broom closet to snog. James hit him across the back of his head and they went off to lunch," Lily said and seemed to be in sort of a trance, her voice was all light and airy. Remus was nervous and hoped it wouldn't cause another relapse.  
  
"I asked why you always looked sick and you said you were always catching a cold. I knew you were lying, it was written all over your face. I asked if you were a werewolf and you became terrified. You pleaded with me not to tell anyone and I swore to you I wouldn't tell a soul," she trailed of a moment, "And I never did," Lily said and blinked repeatedly. "I wasn't scared of you Remus and I'm still not. You don't have to worry. No one will hear a word from my mouth about it," she whispered and smiled at Remus.  
  
Remus was vaguely aware that he was crying. "I was worried you would hate me when you found out, but you knew all along," he said staring at her though pale gray eyes.  
  
Lily moved closer to Remus and hugged him. "I couldn't possibly hate you Remy. You're a wonderful person and just because you get a bit hairier once a month doesn't mean I'm going to run screaming from the room," Lily said and heard Remus laugh. "Besides that, you woke me from a horrible nightmare and you get my never ending gratitude for just that," she said and pulled away ruffling his hair.  
  
"I'm glad you know Lily, it makes everything so much easier," Remus said quietly with a hint of a smile.  
  
"Yes it does. Now I'm going to go take a shower. I suggest you do too. It will make you feel better and wipe away all evidence of our little heart to heart," Lily said with a smile and headed for the door but paused before she got there. "Who knows besides me?" she asked.  
  
"James, Sirius, Peter, Dumbledore and Snape, though I think Arabella does too. yeah, she does," Remus said and scrunched up his face thinking. "I believe that's all," he said and looked up at her.  
  
"Snape?" Lily asked incredulously as her eyebrows raised in disbelief.  
  
"Happened 6th year, a very long story," Remus said with a sigh, "You might even know it, but don't try to remember just yet. You did a lot today already," he said seriously and Lily nodded before leaving the room.  
  
A/N: Well, I hope you liked that! I like this chapter or at least the bit with Remus in it. *sighs* I have a few questions really. IF and WHEN I have L/J have sex, make love whatever you wanna call it, do you want it detailed or implied? It won't be for a heck of a long time, but I'm writing ahead of what I'm updating in a note book, so please let me know. Oh, and does anyone protest the idea of a costume ball of sorts? It was one of my fleeting thoughts, but let me know if you like it or not. Thank you all for reading and please review! The more to write the more I respond, and the quicker I update! Love you all! ~Frankie~ 


	30. Discussions with Dumbledore

Author's Note: Hey everyone, here's the next bit, it's shorter then the last chapter, but I hope you like it none the less. Here are the thank yous.  
  
Anarane- I'm glad you thought so.  
  
Bell- Thank you, I'm glad the length pleased you, and thank you for the birthday wishes. I will look into reading your stories. I might even get an idea or something. I am probably going to boost the rating soon. I forgot it was PG. eep!  
  
Midnights shadow of insaneness- Thank you, I'm glad it was good, too bad you couldn't remember what you were going to say.  
  
Lady Death2- Thank you. When I get to the scene with any sort of Lily and James love making *geez that sounds so cheesy* I will take your advice into consideration.  
  
Lillian- I'm glad you like it and the details in it, I didn't notice the strong bond between L/J. uh oh. But thank you for pointing that out.  
  
Ggal- You're welcome for the clarification. and I will probably just write any "sex scene" as it comes out of my head. at present they're no where near that so yeah. But bear with the Peter stuff in this chapter. I apologize whole heartedly for all of it. he's vile.  
  
EbonyQuill- I was thinking of a Ministry related affair for the costume ball. so yay, some one else concurs for that. Woot! I'm 17. heh, it was a cute poem.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- I do like the song, but I can't find it anywhere! Has the CD it's on come out in America yet?  
  
I o u a name- Heh, thank you for the birthday wishes, I did get a very lengthy review which I loved and made me feel all squishy and I will probably wind up boosting my rating because I've started using swear words more and I don't remember the rating system, I don't want people to report me because I have a different idea of what is okay for children and what isn't. And I will definitely boost the rating if there is any sort of sex scene that isn't just implied.  
  
Elfin Child- *eats birthday cake* Thank you, Happy Birthday to you as well. *sighs*  
  
LJKalways- I feel honored that you decided to read my story even though you do not like AU stories. I wasn't sure many people would originally either because it is AU. I am also very pleased that you've decided to give more AU stories a try because of mine. *smiles* I got you hooked on this eh? *grins* I read your review when I got home from my birthday activities and it make me all giggly. Thank you for your compliments and I hope that you enjoy the rest of the story. *feels very humble because of your review* My other stories aren't very good, and I might be taking my Marauders at Hogwarts one out because I can't write anymore. my humor one might have something new to add eventually though.  
  
MegHarts- Yup, no sleep. I'm just mean to them in the coming chapters. which I may or may not turn into an uber long chapter. I'm not sure. I wanted Lily to know because I didn't want her to be reading and just confront Remus about it. So yeah. Thank you.  
  
Ebony Rose1- The story just popped into my head one day and I started writing. Geez! I've been writing this story for what feels like forever. I'm glad you love it and its plot. I make up odd words as well. but I try to keep them out of my stories for the sake of the English language.  
  
Lily 101- I try to accommodate my reviews by updating often, sometimes it doesn't work.  
  
Cassie- I'm trying to work on my updating habits. Thank you.  
  
Alright, that's done now. *wipes brow* I hope you like this chapter, its kinda short so forgive me. ~Frankie~  
  
Chapter Thirty: Discussions with Dumbledore  
  
Across the hall from Remus' room Peter lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling. His door was closed and he was thinking about what his Master had asked him to do. He wanted him to be close to Lily and James. To do this would take skill and this was something he definitely didn't have. James and Sirius had always helped him and now, now he'd betrayed them.  
  
During Christmas break of Seventh year he'd started to despise his role in his group of friends, he wanted to be known for something other then following James Potter around like a little complacent puppy. Anything would do, he didn't really care what it was or how he got it. It was at this point that Voldemort found him and promised him power and riches beyond anything he could possibly imagine. It was so easy to say yes. So very easy and it was more interesting to be a part of He-who-must-not-be- Named's circle even if he was scared to death of his duties. None of the other Death Eaters recognized him though he recognized quite a few of them. There was at least one person from every family of wizards reputed to be involved with the Dark Arts now that Sirius' little brother Regulus was rumored to have joined ranks.  
  
Peter sighed and remembered the last thing that Voldemort had said to him. To play along. But what was he supposed to be playing along with? That's when it struck him. His grandmother's death was the means to get Lily to trust him, to believe he was one of James' best friends, not his enemy. Peter swallowed unconsciously and didn't realize that he had started crying. It had finally struck him, painfully and right between the eyes. "It was my fault," he whispered and he sobbed uncontrollably, growing louder and louder until he heard a woman's voice sitting next to him holding him.  
  
"Shh, Peter its okay," she whispered and rocked him like a baby. He was suddenly aware that Lily was the one speaking to him soothingly. He was also aware of his words, garbled though they might have been.  
  
"It's my fault! If I hadn't agreed, if I hadn't left. It's my fault all my fault," Peter screeched and Lily still held him though she wasn't the only one in the room any longer. Remus was there and he looked sick to his stomach. James came through the door wearing nothing but a towel, sopping wet from jumping out of the shower upon hearing Peter. Sirius and Arabella had just appeared with Dumbledore not far behind.  
  
Dumbledore immediately took control of the situation and cast a spell upon Peter to sleep. "It's okay Lily, he'll sleep for a few hours," Dumbledore said calmly and touched her shoulder gently.  
  
Lily nodded and in a motherly fashion tucked Peter into his bed and stood up looking toward the door where everyone was standing. Seeing James in nothing but a towel brought her blood pressure up a few notches and she could tell that her eyes were very wide. She didn't say anything and kept looking at James who was looking at her, not noticing the fact that he was nearly naked.  
  
"That was disturbing," Sirius said quietly and squeezed Arabella's hand lightly.  
  
"Sometimes it takes time for people to realize that they've actually lost someone they care about. In these sorts of situations people tend to blame themselves for the death," Dumbledore said quietly and looked at Lily curiously wondering what she was thinking and then noticed that James was the object of her attention. He smiled. "Perhaps it would be wise for you to get dressed James. Unless of course you would like to talk about what happened to Lily in a towel," he said amusedly and James turned red.  
  
"Excuse me," James said embarrassedly and walked hurried down the hall blushing furiously as Sirius made catcalls at him and Arabella smacked Sirius on the back of his head.  
  
"We'll meet you in the kitchen James," Dumbledore said and winked at Lily and she blushed as well as they made their way out of Peter's room quietly.  
  
They walked down to the kitchen and found that Dumbledore had made them all breakfast. "Wow," Lily said as she sat down next to the place where James usually sat.  
  
"I thought it might be good for everyone to have a meal without you having to cook," Dumbledore said and sat across from Lily.  
  
James walked in a few moments later wearing some dark slacks and a white tee shirt. His hair was still wet and untidy as ever and his glasses were slightly askew. He was carrying some black wizards' robes and he threw them over the back of his chair and fixed his glasses as he sat down. He tried not to blush as Sirius whistled at him. "Sorry about that," James muttered and looked at Dumbledore to start the discussion.  
  
"It's quite alright James," Dumbledore said and looked to Lily quickly before beginning his diatribe. "You had what is known in the Muggle community as a coma, or something like it," he said and sighed. "You weren't prepared to understand what is locked away in your subconscious; so you retreated within yourself to either give yourself time to think it over or to just escape from what must have been a disturbing and frustrating situation," Dumbledore said looking around the group.  
  
"Why did I wake up?" Lily asked quietly and glanced briefly at James before returning her gaze to Dumbledore.  
  
"There is no real explanation for why you woke. It could have been any number of reasons from being ready to deal with your knowledge or some type of stronger feeling that over powered your frustrations," Dumbledore replied rather vaguely and James sensed that Dumbledore had a better idea of why Lily had awakened and his own reasons for keeping it veiled.  
  
Lily didn't seem to see the holes in Dumbledore had left open with this theory and if she did she chose to dismiss them for the same reasons that James had. "I think it might have been my being prepared to face my fears and the knowledge that I have locked away," Lily said and though there was some truth to the statement it wasn't the whole truth.  
  
"Really?" Dumbledore seemed very interested in this theory as well. "May I ask what led to this conclusion?" he asked with an encouraging smile.  
  
Lily looked over at Remus and he smiled causing James to feel an odd pang in his stomach. "Just before Peter's episode upstairs I was talking with Remus about what had happened telling him he shouldn't blame himself for it and that it would have happened anyway if I hadn't accepted what I knew to be truth rather then fiction. I told him that I have to be wary of the fact that I know things about all of you that I shouldn't; like Remus' dislike of tomatoes and his er- condition," Lily said tensely and glanced at James who looked slightly pained.  
  
Dumbledore smiled, "Progress is a wonderful thing but you'll have to be careful not to over do it," Dumbledore said with a smile.  
  
"Everyone knows right?" Lily asked quietly and Sirius, James and Dumbledore nodded briefly.  
  
Arabella looked confused but the reason behind it was merely tiredness. Her brain suddenly clicked back on and she said, "Oh! Yes, I know about Remus being a werewolf. Sorry, I'm just very, very tired," she was apologetic and Remus smiled lightly at her.  
  
"It would probably be best if we were to go to sleep now or at least get some rest," Sirius said quietly and James chuckled loudly.  
  
"I swear all you ever thing about is food and sleep Sirius," James said and tried to suppress and yawn.  
  
"It's actually a brilliant idea," Dumbledore said quietly and Sirius and Arabella bid everyone goodnight and headed out of the kitchen for the stairs. When they'd left Dumbledore said, "I should be going. I have some business to attend to. Let me know if anything is needed or if anyone has any problems," He bowed kindly and disapparated from the room.  
  
A/N: I'm sorry for the whole Peter thing, and for Dumbledore being the one to excuse Peter's behavior, its rather perturbing to me. You are all going to hate me next chapter, I know it. But yeah, I'm trying to write life, it's not going to be perfect. Anyways, please review. ~Frankie~ 


	31. Harsh Memories

Author's Note: Okay, here is the next chapter; it will make you all hate me, but yeah. Oh, and I have an announcement; School starts on September 2nd and so I will be concentrating on that and will try to update when I can.  
  
Disclaimer: This chapter contains an excerpt from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, though altered it is not my writing, it is J.K. Rowling's, so please do not sue me! You guys are going to hate me, I know it. But I hope at least the writing that is mine, is enjoyable. So here are the thank yous:  
  
Zebragurl- I am going to the death and beyond, Kleenex will be needed I imagine, as when I think about having to write it I feel that I will cry. Thank you for your advice. Yes, I did get your other review; I'd just posted the last chapter and felt bad, I sent you an email about it. my favorite Marauder would probably be Remus. I have a rather disturbing obsession with werewolves. O_o  
  
Lillian- I imagine James did look hot, I chose not to describe that for some reason. probably because I would have gotten a picture of someone I know in James' place but anyway. there's a Lily/James moment here. but yeah, you're gonna hate me. I know it.  
  
Midnights shadow of insaneness- Peter sucks, I would love to exclude him but, I'm trying to stick to cannon so I am trying to avoid my immense hatred of him. I'm not sure if I am succeeding or not.  
  
EbonyQuill- Thank you! I'm glad you liked it; I think this chapter is longer. ^_^  
  
Laina3- Thank you, sorry about the shortness, I hope this makes up for it.  
  
I o u a name- Your senses are quite good. thank you.  
  
Everblue3- I have so many theories, I've barely even started in that department. I swear this story is going to be an epic with how long it is already. Dumbledore has some interesting things going on himself, but those won't start for a good while. *sighs* Thank you, I thought you'd left me! I haven't heard from you for a while.  
  
Mary- Dumbledore hides much beneath his robes. but that's not to be revealed for a while. James and Lily aren't alone. Remus is still there. You'll see. um. You're definitely going to hate me.  
  
Elfin Child- I sigh indiscriminately, don't worry about it. Peter is a vile evil rat. he should die. argh! Maybe I'll write something about Remus killing Peter! In a completely different story that is.  
  
PinayAko- Reviewing? Er. *is confused* Thank you.  
  
????- I'm glad you like it, I'm updating as soon as I possibly can, most times.  
  
BeCkY6- Newcomers are always welcome, I'm glad that you think it is original! Thank you very much! 4am eh? Heh, I inspired you to break computer curfew. ^_^. and of course it's weird, it came out of my head! You'll understand with time, trust me.  
  
Bell- Oh, you'll at least be annoyed with me, but you're quite right about Peter. Thank you!  
  
Anarane- Thank you.  
  
MegHarts- Does this qualify as an uber long chapter? Let me know will you? Thank you!  
  
Akire135- Another newcomer! *does a little jig and then sighs* Lily and James, together. I have no real idea, probably after some more plot points come by. I forget that I'm ahead of everyone in my notebook, and so far they're not together. So I honestly have no idea when they will get together.  
  
Ggal- I think its just Lily's maternal instinct kicking in, especially after this chapter. Thank you, I'm glad you think it's amazing.  
  
Blimey, 19 reviews for the last chapter! 257 reviews total! Thank you all very much! Here's the story, and don't forget that some of this isn't mine!  
  
Chapter Thirty-One: Harsh Memories  
  
James, Remus and Lily sat at the table in a slightly uncomfortable silence. James was jealous of Remus for simply just getting close to Lily and for the fact that she had remembered something about Remus but not him. Remus recognized the fact that James wasn't too happy with him as the moment and he imagined, quite correctly, that it was something to do with Lily. But Lily on the other hand only sensed the tension between the two friends and wondered what had happened in the night to cause the tension.  
  
"Is something wrong James?" Lily asked quietly and reached out to touch his hand but he pulled it out of her reach quickly.  
  
"Nothing is wrong Lily. I have to go into the office, I think Leslie will be here soon," James said and stood up quickly, taking his robes from the back of the chair and putting them on so as to keep Lily from reaching out to him again.  
  
"Don't lie to me James, we've been through this already," Lily said standing up and eyeing James angrily.  
  
"I should go," Remus said quietly and stood trying to leave them to the row they were about to have.  
  
"No, you stay. I'm leaving and then you can do whatever the hell you would like to," James said and started for the door.  
  
"Don't you dare set foot out of this kitchen until we've gotten this straightened out James Harold Potter!" Lily said grabbing his wrist tightly.  
  
James didn't even register the use of his full name but said, "I have to go to work. We can discuss this at a later time Lily," his voice was hard and cold as were his eyes which didn't look so much like chocolate anymore but two rocks, depthless and angry.  
  
"Not later, now Potter. I don't know what you've got stuck up your ass but you need to remove it because you're acting like a stupid git," Lily said angrily, her eyes glinting in the light.  
  
"Why does it matter how I act, you obviously would rather spend time with the werewolf," James said and pried Lily's hand from his wrist and flung it away so that Lily stumbled and Remus caught her looking absolutely shocked at what James had said. "See," James said and on that note apparated from the house.  
  
When James had disappeared and Lily was back on her feet, Remus led her to a chair where she sat with a plop. "Why would James say something that horrible?" she asked looking up at Remus with tear-filled green eyes that nearly broke Remus' heart to look into.  
  
"I don't really know what caused it but I'd say the reason behind it is jealousy," Remus muttered and sat down across the table from Lily.  
  
"Jealousy? What would James have to be jealous of?" Lily asked incredulously and stared at Remus with uncertainty.  
  
"Me, or rather the fact that I was there for your nightmare and that you remembered some thing about me before you remembered something about him," Remus said quietly and ran a hand through his hair tiredly.  
  
"But you and I are just friends!" Lily protested. "I mean you're a wonderful person Remus and you're adorable, but." she trailed off looking helplessly at Remus.  
  
"But you like James," Remus said with a smile. "I noticed it the moment I saw you interact with him," he said and Lily blushed instantly.  
  
"Really?" Lily asked still blushing as she meekly pulled some of her hair behind her ear.  
  
"Yes and there was something in the air that I noticed which told me so," Remus said and for one reason or another blushed as well.  
  
"What?" Lily asked curiously wondering what could make Remus blush.  
  
"Well, it was just after the full moon when I met you and my sense of smell is always very strong," Remus said sheepishly, "and the pheromones you were giving off were rather strong, which is why I flirted with you before James claimed his territory," he said rather bluntly even though he was blushing furiously and looking down at his hands.  
  
"James has no claim to me Remus, even if I do like him, he's done nothing about it because of my age; I'm not even sure I'd want to be involved with him if he's going to act like a jerk," Lily said and felt her eyes close and pictures form as if the back of her eyelids were a picture screen.  
  
Lily was sitting out by the lake with her friends from her year by the names of Catherine and Reni, and they were watching the giant squid swim languidly at the surface of the lake. Catherine's voice rang in Lily's ears saying, "There's that idiot Potter again, showing off as usual with that stupid snitch."  
  
Lily's attention was drawn to the group of boy's under the beech tree, one of whom was catching and releasing a Golden Snitch and ruffling his hair to make it look as if he'd just stepped off a broomstick. Most of the conversation was fuzzy and inaudible except for Catherine saying, "I do wish they would leave Severus alone before I have to walk over and punch Sirius in the face. See how he likes it for a change."  
  
"Potter makes me sick," Lily's own voice rang in her ears and she tried to get back to the conversation that they were having before Catherine had brought up James Potter but a noise from behind them caught her attention. James had just disarmed Snape who was now trying to get his wand and Sirius was shouting the Impediment Curse at Snape. "I can't take this, I'm going to stop them," Lily said and ran up to where James and Sirius were attracting a crowd of amused watchers. James had just used a Scouring Charm on Snape and he was spitting and coughing up pink soap bubbles. "Leave him ALONE!" Lily's own voice ran in her ears and James reached up to muss his hair again, the sight brought something resembling disgust to Lily.  
  
"All right, Evans?" James said in a voice different from the one he used to taunt and hex his 'victims'.  
  
"Leave him alone," Lily repeated, she was scowling and she was angry. Sick and tired of James and Sirius torturing other students. "What's he done to you?" she asked still scowling.  
  
"Well," James said and he appeared to be thinking about the point, "it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean," and many people around laughed, Lily felt sicker to her stomach then she had before.  
  
"You think you're funny," Lily said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag Potter. Leave him alone."  
  
"I will if you go out with me, Evans," James said, "Go on, go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."  
  
Lily was utterly repulsed; James Potter wanted to go out with her, disgusting. "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," she said and scowled some more. She just wanted Potter to leave Snape alone, was that so hard to do?  
  
"Bad luck Prongs," Sirius said quickly and turned back to Snape who was just getting his wand in his hand. "OY!" Sirius said to get James' attention.  
  
Snape pointed his wand at James and there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on James' face, blood spattering on to his robes. James whirled and there was another flash of light and Snape was hanging upside down revealing skinny colorless legs and a pair of graying underpants. People in the crowd cheered and James, Sirius and Peter roared with laughter.  
  
Lily was sadly amused by the fact that Snape's underpants were clearly in need of a good wash, but she wasn't about to show it, "Let him down!" she said and tried not to laugh at the spectacle.  
  
"Certainly," James said and dropped Snape into a crumpled heap who quickly disentangled himself, got to his feet with his wand up but Sirius shouted the Leg-Locker Curse and Snape fell over again.  
  
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted her own wand out and James and Sirius eyed her warily.  
  
"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," James said gravely.  
  
"Take the curse off him then!" Lily said, if James wanted a fight, she'd give him a fight. She wasn't scared of the arrogant jerk.  
  
James sighed and muttered the counter-curse and said, "There you go," and Snape struggled to his feet again. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus,"  
  
Snape however didn't seem to think this was a good thing and said, "I don't need help from filthy little mudbloods like her!"  
  
Lily blinked, "Fine," she said coolly, she wasn't about to let Snape get away with calling her a mudblood just because she was muggleborn. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus." She wasn't going to let the cruel words hurt her but concentrate on her anger with Potter. James' next words brought her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Apologize to Evans!" James shouted at Snape and pointed his wand at him threateningly.  
  
"I don't want you to make him apologize," Lily shouted and turned to James, "You're as bad as he is-,"  
  
"What? I'd NEVER call you a - you-know-what!" James yelped and looked horrified at the thought.  
  
"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can.-I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on in. You make me SICK!" Lily said and then turned on her heel and walked away as James called after her.  
  
Everything was black and Remus was shaking her and looking scared as Lily's eyes popped open. "Oh thank Merlin! I thought you'd relapsed again," Remus said and helped Lily get to her feet.  
  
"No, not a relapse, a memory," Lily replied and dusted off her jeans as she had apparently fallen to the kitchen floor.  
  
Remus looked shocked and asked, "What did you remember?"  
  
"You're a bookworm and James was an arrogant prat always, ruffling his hair and carrying around that stupid snitch," Lily said and rolled her eyes in a disgusted manner. Remus' eyes widened as Lily went on. "He was being absolutely horrid to Snape with Sirius' help and you, you just sat there pretending to read while Peter looked on in admiration of the sick show!" she exclaimed and looked at Remus with disappointment. "You were a prefect, why didn't you stop it?" she asked indignantly.  
  
Remus' memories on the other hand were somewhat different then what Lily 'remembered' as she hadn't been at Hogwarts, someone else had stepped in. A young Slytherin girl by the name of Catherine Mcgeogehegan had intervened and it had turned rather nasty getting James, Sirius, Snape and Catherine detentions for the rest of the week. "But you weren't there Lily, not really," Remus said meekly but it only fueled Lily's rage.  
  
"But it still happened didn't it? It did! I know it! But who intruded on James and Sirius' fun? I don't imagine that it was Arabella, so who was it?" Lily asked furiously; and footsteps cold be heard in the distance.  
  
"Catherine Mcgeogehegan," Remus whispered and looked downtrodden and frustrated with himself.  
  
"Figures," Lily said with an unexplainable smirk and she headed up the back stairs to her room just as Arabella and Sirius walked into the kitchen looking confused.  
  
"What on earth is going on here?" Arabella asked hearing Lily's door slam shut above them. Sirius raised his eyebrows at Remus questioningly.  
  
Remus sighed and ran his hands through his hair before saying, "It's a long story."  
  
"Well then you'd better start explaining," Arabella said and made Remus sit down with just a scowl.  
  
A/N: Hey guys, *hides inside concrete bunker* Please don't hate me! I had to do it! I didn't just want them getting together so quickly, they have to have problems or it's not what I believe. By the way Catherine Mcgeogehegan is a person in an RPG I'm in, so is Reni, but it's not a self insertion, so please don't kill me. I hope you all liked it, I'll update soon as possible. Love you guys! ~Frankie~ 


	32. Fleeing Potter Manor

Author's Note: Hey guys, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the delay. I hope that you like it. It's not one of my better ones and it will just further fuel your desire to beat the crap out of me. This chapter is at 191 in my notebook copies of the story and I'm already to 300, so there's a lot more. if I can ever get it all typed up. Here are the thank yous:  
  
Ggal- Yup, Lily's rather pissed. Guys suck, and I think I wrote this during one of my "Guys suck" periods, so forgive me.  
  
Bell- Woot! I surprised ya! There's going to be more book 5 stuff eventually. I just have to work it in with the rest of my insane plot which has been expanded in a way because of the addition of a character that you won't see until the next chapter. I'll probably get to the others eventually, but you're a good author, so yeah. I kind of screwed up the he didn't start working for them till After Hogwarts. oopsy.  
  
Elfin Child- Sorry to ruin the party. but there's a little Peter in this one. Psychics are spiffeh, at least the ones that actually are, unlike Miss Cleo or whom ever that one chick was. Are you the one that suggested the banishing Peter thing? I cannot remember! But if you are, I've started writing it just now.  
  
MegHarts- He is an evil bullying toerag in the Memory. and my dad brought something up that was actually rather interesting. but yeah. Thank you! I'm so glad you're still reading! I hope this chapter is okay for length.  
  
I o u a name- James is a git, but he gets better. I promise. And silliness is a good thing!  
  
AshliRyTe- Thank you, I'm glad you love it! And I strive to be original so I guess I'm striving well.  
  
Sweetlei18- A killer fan fic eh? *beams* Thank you much, and I try to continue frequently!  
  
Lady Death2- *cowers behind concrete bunker* You're gonna come after me after this chapter and a few of the following ones. eep! *gets a running head start*  
  
Anarane- Yes, James is being a prat. It gets worse before it gets better too. I thinks.  
  
Cassie- *cowers some more* I'm sorry; I had to make them have problems! And James is sorry; he just doesn't know it yet. because he's still rather pissed off. As for what the "real" James would say, who knows.  
  
EbonyQuill- Here's more. Thank you!  
  
Me- I haven't even started a Lily/James love scene. There probably won't be one until their married *waves Christian morals flag* but there will be other things to tide one over. I will do my best to make any love scene detailed but as I'm lacking of experience it might suck. I'm trying to get more L/J action of the positive in here, but yeah. thank you.  
  
Chapter Thirty-Two: Fleeing Potter Manor  
  
Upstairs Lily paced back and forth across her room angrily. She was absolutely pissed off at all of those stupid childish boys and wanted nothing more to do with them. Muttering under her breath she packed up her possessions into the one bag she'd brought to James' and walked quietly out of her room and down the front stairs to the front door. She heard Arabella shouting at Remus and knew it was the perfect time to make her escape. She opened the door and shut it slowly but quietly as she left. Lily looked out into the street as she stood on James' front steps and felt an odd pang in her chest; she sighed and stepped away from the door. She hitched her bag up onto her shoulder and jogged down the street away from James Potters' beautiful house.  
  
She got into the main part of town and spotted a bus to London about to leave. She paid her fare quickly and sat down near the front of the bus feeling extremely depressed, but she wasn't about to live with an arrogant pompous jerk and his arrogant pompous friends. She wouldn't stand for it. Sighing again, Lily looked out the window and watched the country side and cities pass by as a few tears slowly leaked from her eyes.  
  
As Arabella was shouting at Remus for acting like a prat to Lily she heard something that made her stop her shouting. "Did you hear that?" Arabella asked quietly and Remus and Sirius shook their heads. Arabella shot up the stairs and opened Lily's door without knocking and Remus and Sirius came up the stairs behind her. Seeing that Lily wasn't there Arabella said, "Check for her things," and the boys looked, not a trace of Lily was found. "Nothing," Arabella said and bolted across the room opened the door and ran down the hall almost colliding with Peter who was coming out of his room.  
  
"What's going on?" Peter asked looking confused and sleepy as Arabella pushed past him.  
  
Sirius passed Peter and so did Remus and Peter decided to follow them. Arabella was opening the door as they reached the stairs. The followed her outside and found her standing in the street looking up it. "Where are the keys to James' car?" Arabella asked hurriedly turning to Sirius.  
  
"Somewhere in the house I imagine," Sirius said and Arabella ran back inside pulling her wand out as she got inside the door.  
  
"Accio car keys!" Arabella shouted and there was a noise upstairs in James' room and the keys came pelting toward Arabella and she caught them in mid air and made for the door again. "Sirius, come with me, Remus, Peter wait here in case she comes back," Arabella said and pulled Sirius out the door again toward the garage. "Alohomora," she said as the garage door came into view. "I'll drive," she said and climbed in into the drivers' seat after the door was open and Sirius climbed into the passenger's seat.  
  
Arabella pulled out of the garage and drove quickly down the street scanning the road for any sign of Lily. "Where would she go?" she asked looking at Sirius.  
  
"Into town maybe?" Sirius said questioningly. Arabella started in the direction of down and drove slower looking for Lily. They spotted her just as she was getting on a bus to London. "What is in London that she would go to?" Sirius asked quickly wondering if they should follow the bus or turn back and contact James.  
  
Arabella looking at the fuel gage and saw it was nearing empty. "Bloody Hell!" she said and banged her hand on the steering wheel forcefully. "We'll have to go back," she said quietly.  
  
"I'll go straight to James' office, hopefully he will be there," Sirius said, kissed Arabella's cheek and apparated out of the car.  
  
Arabella watched Sirius disappear into thin air and the bus Lily rode on disappearing into the distance. She turned the car around and drove back to James' house. Remus met her outside, Peter had gone in soon after they had left and Remus had told him that Lily had left after a couple spats.  
  
"Sirius went to tell James," Arabella said quietly after she'd returned the car to the garage and closed the door.  
  
"Why would she leave?" Remus asked slowly and scratched his head.  
  
"She's scared! She likes James but seeing that memory of him acting like a moron, all of you acting like morons has to have confused her. Especially after James acted like such a prick just before hand," Arabella said and seemed to come to some type of realization. "Maybe she thinks that James was showing his true colors in the kitchen and the rest was just a sham," she said looking up at Remus.  
  
"It's possible, but James changed soon after that and became decent," Remus said quietly looking at Arabella.  
  
"We'd better get inside to wait," Arabella said tiredly and they walked into the house to wait for James and Sirius to return.  
  
James paced his underground office angrily having just arrived there. He picked up a small sneakoscope and threw it against the wall and it shattered with a crash.  
  
"James? Are you alright?" Leslie's voice came through the door following three sharp knocks on the door.  
  
"I'm fine Leslie, I thought you were going to my home this morning," James said and opened the door to see Leslie standing there looking worried.  
  
"I was but I had something I needed to do regarding Wilhelmina's death," Lily said sadly looking down at her feet.  
  
James' jealous anger dissolved as he remembered that Wilhelmina Pettigrew had been Leslie's godmother. "Crap, Leslie I forgot you and Mrs. Pettigrew were close," James said quietly.  
  
"Don't worry James, I'll be fine, I'm just worried about Peter. No one has seen him since last night," Leslie said quietly.  
  
"Oh! He's at my house getting some rest," James said scratching his head and messing up his already untidy hair.  
  
"Oh, okay. Tell him that he needs to make the arrangements. His parents are unable to get away at the moment," Leslie said sadly.  
  
"I will let him know as soon as I see him," James sighed and wondered when exactly that would be.  
  
"Is something bothering you James?" Leslie asked quietly touching his arm lightly.  
  
"Women," James muttered quietly, his cheeks going slightly pink.  
  
"Oh really? What's wrong with women?" Leslie asked indignantly.  
  
"Not all of them, just one," James muttered and looked down at his feet.  
  
"Oh, so you've finally found someone eh?" Leslie asked with a smirk as she crossed her arms.  
  
"Yeah, but she's 17," James said and waited for Leslie's reaction, but all he got was her asking, "For how much longer?"  
  
"About a month or two," James answered quietly.  
  
"And this is causing you to throw Sneakoscopes at the wall?" Leslie asked raising her eyebrows.  
  
"No, but." James trailed off wondering what it was that had made him throw that sneakoscope at the wall.  
  
"But what?" Leslie asked curiously looking at James who was thinking about what had happened earlier that morning.  
  
He'd been the one that had blown up at Lily and Remus because the thought they were becoming closer then Lily and himself. James sighed and slapped himself. "I'm a moron. It's my stupid fault that any of it happened," he said annoyed with himself for his stupidity.  
  
"What is it?" Leslie asked quietly.  
  
"I acted like a jealous jerk," James said disgusted with himself.  
  
"Ah, well the sooner you apologize to the girl and Remus it would be best," Leslie said quietly.  
  
"How did you know it was Remus?" James asked suspiciously.  
  
"I've heard through the grapevine that Sirius Black and Arabella Figg are an item and I highly doubt that Peter would give you anything to be jealous of, so Remus was the natural assumption, especially if the girl is a bookworm as he is," Leslie explained brightly.  
  
"That makes me feel so much better Leslie," James said with a laugh.  
  
"Then that means you have realized how silly you were being and are going to apologize as soon as you see this girl," Leslie said.  
  
"Yeah, I think I'll do that," James said and started thinking about what he could do to get back into Lily's good graces.  
  
Leslie smiled and walked back to her desk. A few moments later Leslie walked back into the room saying, "Sirius Black is here to see you James, it seems very important."  
  
"Let him in," James said and wondered why a sinking feeling has settled uncomfortably in his stomach. Sirius stepped into the room looking slightly flushed as if he had run a great distance.  
  
"What's wrong?" James asked crossing the room to stand in front of Sirius.  
  
"It's Lily," Sirius said quietly and James' stomach lurched painfully. "She and Remus had a row just after you left and she took off James. We have no real idea as to where she might have gone," he said slowly and watched as James sunk into his chair looking up at Sirius in a horrified manner.  
  
"When?" James managed to choke out and his fists clenched and unclenched, his fingernails digging into his palms.  
  
"Not more then twenty minutes ago," Sirius said quietly.  
  
"We have to find her Padfoot! We just have to," James said worriedly.  
  
"We will Prongs, we will," Sirius said and they ran out of the office to apparated back to James' house.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * You thought I would end it here, didn't you! * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
James and Sirius arrived in James' entry hall moments after leaving James' office at the Ministry. "Thank God you're here!" Arabella said relieved that Sirius had found James quickly.  
  
"Did she come back?" James asked hurriedly with misplaced hope as Remus walked slowly into the entrance hall.  
  
"Not yet," Remus whispered quietly looking at James with wary eyes.  
  
"I honestly don't think that she will the way the two of you acted toward her," Arabella said and crossed her arms over her chest looking at Remus and James with disappointment.  
  
"What?" James asked stubbornly.  
  
"Lily probably skived off because neither of you understand her at all. You treated her very poorly and honestly I'm not surprised, especially if she remembered how you all acted at Hogwarts," Arabella said angrily and prodded James hard in the chest.  
  
"She what? What did she remember?" James asked, his eyes widened wondering what she could have possibly remembered.  
  
"The incident right after the Defense O.W.L.'s," Remus said quietly and James' eyes widened further.  
  
"With Snape and that Slytherin girl who intervened?" James asked scratching his head trying to remember.  
  
"Yes, except in Lily's memory she was the one to attempt to help Snape," Remus replied tonelessly.  
  
"What?" James asked astonished.  
  
"You heard me James," Remus said, his voice still toneless.  
  
James remembered how foolish he had been acting after the DADA O.W.L. with the Snitch and deciding to torture Snape because Sirius had been bored. James closed his eyes in exasperation. "We have to find her. Where do you think she would go?" James asked quietly.  
  
"She caught a bus to London, she'll probably stick around there because she can disappear easily," Sirius said quietly and hoped that Arabella wouldn't start in on him as the whole thing had been his fault back at Hogwarts.  
  
"What if someone unsavory finds her there?" James asked and there was a note of panic in his voice.  
  
"Then we had better start looking don't you think?" Arabella asked sarcastically.  
  
"Yes we should. Someone should tell Peter to stay here and wait, just in case," James said quietly.  
  
"I will, and I'll meet you at Bella's in a few minutes," Sirius said and they nodded and disapparated. Sirius walked upstairs to Peter's room and knocked.  
  
"Come in," Peter said quietly and Sirius opened the door to find Peter sitting on his bed with a letter.  
  
"Hey, we're going to London to look for Lily. James requests that you stay here to wait for her in case she decides to come back while we're gone," Sirius said quietly.  
  
"Alright," Peter said and he looked at the letter again.  
  
"What's that?" Sirius asked.  
  
"A letter from my parents. They won't be able to attend Gran's funeral," Peter said quietly.  
  
"I'm sorry Peter, are you going to be okay?" Sirius asked quietly.  
  
"I imagine so. I'll see you guys when you get back," Peter said quietly and Sirius nodded, leaving Peter to his disappointment and grief as he disapparated to Arabella's house where the others were waiting.  
  
A/N: I hope you guys all liked this chapter. I was a little iffy about some of it so I changed it from the original handwritten text. Please don't kill me! It had to be done! Oh and if you want to be on the mailing list if you aren't already give your email in your review! Please Review!! ~Frankie~ 


	33. Friend or Foe?

Author's Note: Hello Ladies and Gents! May I present to you the next installment of Lily Without Hogwarts! I will try to keep my updates to the weekends, but even then I might not be able to. I've just started typing up the 3rd notebook and writing in the 4th. So there is still a lot left. Now for the disclaimer: I own nothing. or rather very little. Most of this is J. K. Rowling's beautiful creation and most credit goes to her. Now for the thank yous:  
  
I o u a name- You've been added to the mailing list, thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked it.  
  
Zebragurl- Yes, werewolves are great. *cackles* James blew it big time, and he might keep blowing it. I have no idea. If you skip the death chapter I will be saddened because I'm going to work exceptionally hard on that to stick to cannon and there will be other things in it as well.  
  
Elfin Child- It's been written and I think it's decent; it might get tweaked when I type it up, but I'm not sure. It all depends how things go. This chapter is all Lily.  
  
Black Snow- First time eh, well, since you gave me such a great compliment with the eloquence thing I shall forgive and forget, as long as you review more!! Please?!  
  
Lily Rose- In her dream Lily was shopping with Alice in Muggle London on purpose for a certain thing, keep reading and you'll find out what. and as it is, I'm not even sure I'm going to make Lily precognitive.  
  
Ggal- Are you sure Lily's actions were irrational? *smiles knowingly before cackling* In Lily's mind she was being rational, but who knows? You'll hopefully understand after this chapter, but maybe not. I don't know.  
  
BeCkY6- Snazzy eh? Cool, it's snazzy! And yes you have said it's weird, in a good way, but I'm glad you like it.  
  
Mockingbirdflyaway- I'm glad you don't blame Lily and she will meet many people of many colorful ideals both good and bad, but you probably won't know which is which. or will you?  
  
Poetbrit- Thank you and good luck with your own story hun.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- I will try to update as often as possible with school having started again. Please be patient. Thank you for the review!  
  
EbonyQuill- You've been put on the mailing list, though how often I will use it I do not know. I'm glad you love it, and I hope you love the coming chapters as well.  
  
MegHarts- Lots of drama, which seems to be my strong suit with this story lately, because I don't seem to get the comedic parts very good. *sighs* Or maybe I'm paranoid. Who knows? I hope you like the addition of a new character in this chapter.  
  
Midnights shadow of insaneness- Oh don't worry about it. I'm glad you like the chapters and I hope you like this one too.  
  
Chapter Thirty-Three: Friend or Foe?  
  
Lily got off the bus in a densely populated area of London and tried to think of where she could go. Her thoughts traveled directly to Diagon Alley. She thought that if they found out she'd run that she would stick to Muggle London so she made her way to The Leaky Cauldron.  
  
She walked inside the pub and looked around slowly taking in her surroundings before she made for the archway into Diagon Alley. Remembering what James had done on their trip to get her wand, Lily pulled it out of her bag and tapped the third brick on the right and the archway opened revealing the wonder known to wizards as Diagon Alley.  
  
Lily meandered slowly down the alley toward Gringotts Wizarding Bank to convert her muggle money into Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. She had gotten an idea as she'd walked into Diagon Alley to buy a cloak so that she didn't standout so much in the wizarding world. She made her way back to Madam Malkins Robes for All Occasions and entered the shop with the tinkle of a bell.  
  
"I'll be right with you," a kind voiced witch called from the back of the shop and moments later came rushing forward brushing her hair out of her face and smiling brightly. "Can I help you?" the woman asked with a smile.  
  
"Do you sell cloaks?" Lily asked with a smile of her own; the woman's cheerful mood was infectious.  
  
"Yes of course," the witch said with a pleasant smile and led Lily over to a series of racks. "Is there something specific that you're looking for Miss?" the witch asked and looked Lily over thinking about what cloak would suit the red-headed girl best.  
  
"Something relatively cheap," Lily replied embarrassedly and brushed some of her hair out of her face bringing her flushing cheeks into view.  
  
Madam Malkin smiled and pulled a tape measure from one of the pockets of her robes and measured Lily from shoulder to shoulder and shoulder to toes before leading Lily over to a stool and platform. "Wait here a moment, I will be right back," she said and went into the back room and proceeded to dig around there for a few moments before coming back with a dark emerald green cloak that she put over Lily's shoulders with a flourish. "How does that feel?" Madam Malkin asked with a curious smile.  
  
Lily swayed slightly testing the cloak's fabric before turning to look in a mirror on the sidewall. The fabric practically shimmered in the light. The green of the cloak contrasted beautifully with the fiery red of Lily's hair, made her eyes practically glow and her pale skin shine. "Wow," Lily whispered and smiled at her reflection. She looked stunning, but she also knew that she couldn't afford it. "How much is it?" Lily asked quietly and looking longingly at her reflection.  
  
Madam Malkin smiled kindly and knew instantly that the money didn't matter. This girl was meant to have the cloak she'd been hoarding in her back room for years. She asked, "How much have you got?"  
  
Lily whipped around, the cloak flowing easily around her and confirming the shopkeeper's thoughts. "What?" Lily asked astonished at the question because the cloak was surely expensive.  
  
"Madam Malkin smiled warming and asked again, "How much money have you got?"  
  
"About three galleons and a few sickles and knuts," Lily whispered quietly and wondered what was happening.  
  
Madam Malkin's smile never faltered. "I'll give the cloak to you for two of those galleons," she said and touched Lily's arm lightly.  
  
"You're serious?" Lily asked a moment later when she was able to speak again.  
  
"Yes I am," Madam Malkin said. "I've had that cloak in this shop for many years waiting for the right person for it. You're it and the money doesn't matter," she said and touched Lily's cheek lightly.  
  
Lily smiled broadly and dug in her pocked for the money handing over the appropriate amount to the woman. "Thank you so much," Lily said and the witch's smile seemed to get brighter as if she was radiating sunshine.  
  
"It's nothing," Madam Malkin said and bent down to check the hem of the cloak but to mending or re-hemming was needed; it was absolutely perfect. "You're all set," she said holding out her hand to help Lily down from the platform.  
  
Lily picked her bag up from the floor and asked, "What is your name?"  
  
"Madeline Malkin, I own this shop," she answered still smiling as she put the two galleons in the register.  
  
"My name is Lily Evans, thank you for your kindness," Lily replied and felt a rather overwhelming desire to give the woman a hug.  
  
"It was my pleasure. Good luck Miss Evans," Madeline said with a warm gleam in her eyes.  
  
"Thank you again," Lily said and left the shop drawing the hood of the cloak up to cover her hair that was a beacon to anyone looking for her. She stepped back out into the alley and began to wander along looking at the fascinating shops but not really watching where she was going.  
  
Lily wound up running right into a dark haired witch about her age. The impact caused them both to fall to the ground the strange girl cursing on the way down. Lily quickly got to her feet, "I am so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going," Lily apologized and held her hand out to the girl who was looking downright murderous. When the girl with all the dark hair looked up at Lily, Lily felt a startling flash of recognition.  
  
The strange girl did too and did her best to hide it because she didn't know Lily from Adam. "Well that's obvious," the girl said angrily as she got to her feet without Lily's hand to help her.  
  
Lily couldn't help looking hurt and she wondered why. "Do I know you?" Lily asked and the girl who was about to head away.  
  
"I rather doubt it as I don't know any insufferable klutzes," the girl snapped and dusted off her black robes.  
  
The girl's rude words brought dozens of pictures and memories to Lily's mind. "Catherine," Lily said just under her breath and the girls' eyes widened considerably.  
  
"How do you know my name?" Catherine asked wondering who in Merlin's name the girl was and why she knew her name.  
  
"I-I just remembered it," Lily said aloud and dozens of random facts about Catherine Mcgeogehegan flashed through her mind.  
  
"Remembered it? How could you remember it if I've never even met you before?" Catherine asked indignantly wondering if she should pull out her wand and made the odd redhead go away.  
  
"It's a rather long story," Lily said quietly looking at Catherine sheepishly.  
  
'Long story?' thought Catherine and she looked into Lily's green eyes and felt as if she were looking into the eyes of a very good friend, of which she had very few. She looked at her watch and her curiosity got the better of her. "I've got the time if you have," Catherine said with a very small smile.  
  
They walked to The Leaky Cauldron and took a seat in a darkened corner with two butterbeers and a small plate of sandwiches. "Start with your name so I know who I'm talking to," Catherine said before taking a swig of her drink.  
  
"My name is Lily," she paused and glanced around uncertainly, there was nobody close enough to their table and she finished even more quietly, "Evans."  
  
Catherine couldn't help but notice Lily's suspicious glance around the pub and asked, "You in some kind of trouble girl?" There was a subtle Irish lit in her voice.  
  
"Not really, I just don't want the wrong people to overhear," Lily whispered before taking a bite of a turkey sandwich.  
  
Catherine raised her eyebrows suspiciously. If the girl was on Voldemort's hit list she wasn't sure if she wanted to associate with her but Catherine's curiosity outweighed her caution and she asked, "Who is after you?"  
  
Lily looked troubled for a moment. Who was after her? Surely James would be looking for her by now, but was anyone else after her with less then pleasant intentions? Lily's intuition screamed out and affirmative yes but she had no idea who. "Well I know that James is bound to be looking for me, but other then him I haven't any real idea," Lily answered in a voice just above a whisper.  
  
Catherine's mind raced at the peculiar answer. "James? Do you mean Potter?" Catherine asked her brown eyes glinting angrily in the dim light.  
  
"Yes I do," Lily spat out. "I hope to never see that insufferable bastard again," she said with a scowl.  
  
"What did he do to you?" Catherine asked her curiosity at its peak. Catherine wondered suddenly why she felt very inclined to find Potter and do a Severing Charm on a certain appendage of his just for angering the stranger sitting in front of her. It was very peculiar indeed and she was anxious to get to the story.  
  
Lily's eyes flashed momentarily and she said, "He was a moronic bastard to me! Thinking I had any interest in Remus is just despicable. Then I remembered something about him and I left. I hope he never finds me."  
  
Now Catherine's mind was reeling. It was like a bad Muggle soap opera come to life. "Lupin? This is becoming confusing. Maybe we should just stick to the reason we came to talk about in the first place Lily," Catherine said knowing full well that any tirade about James Potter could last for hours, possibly even days.  
  
"Right, sorry," Lily muttered quietly.  
  
"Oh, don't be sorry. Potter has always been a thorn in my side. But on with the 'long story'," Catherine said and looked expectantly at Lily to begin.  
  
Lily sighed. "Alright," she said and drew the hood of her cloak forward to hide her face a little more. "I'm a witch-,"she said and Catherine snorted.  
  
"That's not surprising girl, you're in The Leaky Cauldron," Catherine said sarcastically and Lily scowled at the interruption.  
  
"Just listen Catherine," Lily said and her eyes glinted with the candlelight beneath the shadows of her cloak.  
  
"Okay, sorry," Catherine said unable to suppress a smirk.  
  
"I only found out I was a witch this week," Lily said leaning forward and whispering so quietly Catherine had to strain to hear.  
  
"What?" Catherine said the smirk now replaced by a look of astonishment. She unconsciously fiddled with the handle of her wand that was tucked into the pocket of her robes.  
  
"I was supposed to go to Hogwarts," Lily said quietly.  
  
"But only this week? Where have you been? Didn't you get your letter?" Catherine asked her words rushed and just loud enough to hear. She realized that discretion was needed now more then ever.  
  
"I didn't get my letter. It was burned before it reached my hands," Lily said lightly and looked extremely angry.  
  
"Who? Why? How?" Catherine asked, never had she been more confused or astonished in her life.  
  
"Voldemort," Lily whispered and wondered if Catherine was going to run from her seat.  
  
"What?" Catherine asked her eyes wide and she realized her thoughts about Lily being on Voldemort's hit list weren't unfounded.  
  
"He stole my letter and claimed that I didn't want to attend Hogwarts. Then he some how faked my death," Lily whispered and took a sip of her butterbeer to alleviate the dry mouth she was beginning to get.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me?" Catherine said she'd never know anyone to successfully trick Albus Dumbledore.  
  
"I'm completely serious," Lily said with a sigh and watched Catherine for signs of wanting to flee, surprisingly she didn't see any.  
  
"So how did you find out?" Catherine asked eagerly.  
  
"A complete accident. I'd left my sisters house and was here in London trying to get some sleep in a park when a cat came up to me and its owner was calling out to it, looking for it. The woman, Arabella Figg, took me in and for some reason or another told Albus Dumbledore about me," Lily paused noting Catherine's sour look at mention of Arabella. She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "You don't like Arabella?" she asked even though she had a suddenly feeling about why the answer would be no.  
  
"Not in the slightest," Catherine muttered angrily. "Figg and I have irreconcilable differences," she said preferring to get back to Lily's tale rather than dwell painfully on the past.  
  
"Sirius," Lily whispered her eyes widening as she looked toward the door of the pub. Sirius Black was standing there looking around and Lily turned her head and hid in the shadows further.  
  
"Pardon?" Catherine asked her own eyes widening in wonder as how Lily knew, but she caught Lily's gaze and saw that Lily was referring to the man himself who was striding towards Tom's post at the bar.  
  
A/N: So, what are your thoughts on Catherine? Let me know if you like her or not as she's an OC of sorts. I hope you also liked the chapter. I'll try to get the next one out soon as well. ~Frankie~ 


	34. Scouring London for Lily

Author's Note: Hey guys, I know this is right after the last chapter, but I felt like typing more and actually finished it last night, but was too tired to upload and such, so you get it tonight. You guys are sort of on the right track, but I've still got you stumped. but I'm hoping that you're enjoying my story. Here are the Thank Yous as per usual:  
  
Poetbrit- Good luck with 8th grade hun; and keep up with your homework or it will get out of control! Trust me I know!! I haven't had much time to read lately, but hopefully I'll get around to reading the next bit in your story. I'm honored that my story is your favorite.  
  
I o u a name- Rude is Catherine's middle name. thanks for the review!!  
  
EbonyQuill- I'm glad you find Catherine interesting; I'll let her know that you think so. *cackles* You'll see what Sirius does.  
  
Kat6528- I'm sorry about the name! I couldn't really help it! I hope to keep everyone guessing about Catherine.  
  
Captain Oblivious- Elfin Child has been retired. *sighs* You are a wise one, she is. now I've got you wondering, don't I? *cackles*  
  
Anarane- I hope so too.  
  
Midnights shadow of insaneness- That would be far too easy for everyone. but you'll see.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- If I stopped the suspense I wouldn't enjoy writing this for all of you, and then I would be sad because I would have to stop and I don't want to do that, but I'll try to update more often.  
  
Argh, going to have to change email addresses soon, my box is getting really full and I'm starting to not get reviews. checked the site and found 3 that my email didn't pick up. bad hotmail.  
  
Ggal- Heh, a Catherine fan, yayness! You'll see how Cat and Lily "were" at Hogwarts soon. but will it help you to unravel the plot that Catherine's appearance has brought? *smirks*  
  
MegHarts- Another Cat fan, shh, don't let her know I'm calling her that, she might deck me. I was worried about the robe thing. but yeah, you'll see why, I'm afraid it's too eh, cheesy? But that's the chapter after this one. Heeeeeeeerrrrrrreeeessss J- oh I mean Sirius.  
  
JCtigerwolf4e- Thanks, I'm trying. Keep reviewing, the more ya say or ask the more I reply with!! ^_^  
  
And now to the story! *By the by, I've gotten 307 reviews!! So thanks so much for all you're support!*  
  
Chapter Thirty Four: Scouring London for Lily  
  
When Sirius arrived at Arabella's they made plans to meet back there by dinnertime if they had any information regarding Lily's whereabouts and proceeded to split up to search the streets. They checked hotels for people under her name or any variation of it. They asked in bus and train depots after her and by three in the afternoon one of them had found a trace of Lily anywhere.  
  
James had run into Frank Longbottom near the Ministry of Magic and enlisted his help.  
  
"Whoa! James are you okay?" Frank had said when James had accidentally plowed right into him.  
  
"I wish I was. I'm looking for someone," James said hurriedly as he scanned the crowd around them.  
  
"Who?" Frank asked wondering if they were of the good or bad variety.  
  
"Lily Evans, she's got bright red hair and green eyes, about this tall," James said putting his hand at his shoulder's height, "And she's fairly skinny," he finished looking at Frankie hopefully.  
  
"Nah, I haven't seen anyone like that. Why are you looking for her?" Frank asked curiously.  
  
"Many reasons, but the main ones are to apologize and keep her out of danger," James said and pulled at his hair in frustration, not really making a dent in its disorder.  
  
"Ah, some fiery haired maiden has caught your eye! Alice will be pleased to hear it," Frank said with a small laugh before asking. "Who or what is she in danger from?"  
  
"Herself and Voldemort," James said and watched as Frank raised his eyebrows as him.  
  
"Everyone is in danger from Voldemort, but why is she in danger from herself?" Frank asked curiously as a group of chattering muggle women passed by them whispering about James and various aspects of his appearance, mainly his read end. Frank rolled his eyes and James didn't even notice which made Frank wonder just who Lily Evans was to his friend.  
  
"She just found out she's a witch a few days ago," James said under his breath.  
  
Frank laughed, "So she's Hogwarts bound, why is that a problem?" Frank asked not really understanding.  
  
"She's seventeen, Frank, not ten or eleven," James muttered and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Whoa! Hold it. Seventeen? Why didn't she go to Hogwarts?" Frank asked looking extremely confused.  
  
"Voldemort. So, she's untrained, carrying a wand and we aren't sure if Voldemort knows she's found out or not as we had a run in with Malfoy and Snape the other day and who knows if they told him or not," James said angrily. There was no real proof that Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape were Death Eaters but with their attitudes toward Muggleborns at Hogwarts as substantiation it was James' assumption that they were part of Voldemort's group of lackies.  
  
Frank sighed, "Okay. I'll help you James, I just hope that Voldemort hasn't found out yet," he said and they started down the street stopping every red haired girl that even remotely resembled Lily. They didn't find her and James was growing more and more fearful by the minute.  
  
Arabella and Remus wound up meeting each other near St. Mungo's neither of them having any luck as of yet.  
  
"Anything?" Remus asked Arabella after almost knocking her to the ground.  
  
"Nothing, not a bloody thing," Arabella said angrily and kicked a rock on the pavement into a sewer grate.  
  
"Me either. Have you seen James or Sirius?" Remus asked quietly.  
  
"No. I keep stopping red heads but I'm not having any good fortune," Arabella said and looked around at passersby hopelessly.  
  
Remus sighed in frustration and looked around. He saw the homeless man from the previous night and walked over to where he sat against the building. "Sorry to bother you sir, but have you see and red headed woman about my companions' height carrying a bag anywhere around here?" he asked hopefully with a smile.  
  
The old man looked up at Remus and rubbed his eyes. "One sees many things if they look for them. Why does this woman interest you sonny?" the man asked with a toothless grin.  
  
"She's a friend of our and she might be in trouble," Remus said and was beginning to think that his idea to asked the man wasn't such a good one.  
  
"Trouble eh? Well lemme think," the man said and proceeded to scratch his head and screw up his face in concentration. Remus waited while the man thought and Arabella approached cautiously behind him. They were both scared to get their hopes up.  
  
"I do recall one girl that matches your description. She was in jeans and a dark colored shirt with a backpack slung over he shoulder. She got off the bus just over there," the man said and pointed across and up the street to the left. "She walked that way," he pointed to the right, "and she seemed really troubled as she walked by. She had the most startling green eyes I've ever seen," he said and scratched his head again. "Does that help any?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, very much," Remus said as he and Arabella exchanged glances. "Thank you," Remus said and they started off in the direction that the man had pointed.  
  
They looked for possible places that Lily could have gone and wound up running into Sirius. "Any luck?" Sirius asked quickly.  
  
"We think that an old man might have seen her; he gave a very good description," Arabella said hopefully.  
  
Sirius sighed, "Where haven't we looked?" he asked in frustration, he knew that they were missing something.  
  
"Maybe she went back to her sisters?" Remus asked dubiously.  
  
"I doubt it but you can check King's Cross with Bella. I'm going to meander, I think better alone," Sirius said quietly, stating a fact that they already knew.  
  
"Alright, see you in a few hours at my house," Arabella said and kissed Sirius' cheek before starting off down the street that would take her and Remus to King's Cross.  
  
Sirius watched them walk away before returning to the task at hand. 'We've looked every where in London that Lily could possibly know her way around but there's got to be something we're missing,' Sirius thought to himself letting his feet take him where they pleased. He soon found himself on a street that was far too familiar for his tastes. Grimmauld Place where his childhood home stood just two houses down.  
  
He absently wondered how his brother's N.E.W.T.'s went and then grunted and walked right past number twelve without so much as a glance. That's when it hit him. They'd looked everywhere they could think of that was MUGGLE for Lily, without considering she might have gone somewhere that wasn't. "How could we have been so dense?!" Sirius proclaimed and headed toward the Leaky Cauldron at a jog.  
  
He arrived outside it about ten minutes later and looked around at the faces on the street just incase she hadn't thought about Diagon Alley until recently and to take a moment to catch his breath. Seeing that none of the faces were familiar he stepped into the wizarding pub and glanced around. He didn't see anyone familiar and so he walked up to Tom the bartender. "Hey Tom, I've got a question for you," Sirius said and he stood at the bar, his hands placed on the polished, but slightly dingy looking wood and leaned forward a little bit.  
  
"Yeah, what's that Black?" Tom replied as he set aside the rag he was using to wipe the bar with.  
  
"Do you remember that girl that James and I came in with the other day?" Sirius asked as he pushed some of his lengthy black hair out of his face.  
  
"Yes I do, why?" Tom replied with a toothy smile.  
  
"Have you seen her lately?" Sirius asked quickly and waited expectantly for Tom's answer.  
  
Tom thought for a moment and then said, "Yeah, she headed into Diagon Alley a few hours ago. She must be doing some serious shopping because I haven't seen her come back out."  
  
Sirius looked pleased. "Thanks Tom," he said and made for the entrance into Diagon Alley. He tapped the correct brick with his wand and the archway opened up for him. Standing just inside the Alley he wondered where Lily would go and what she would do. Would she just wander aimlessly or was she there for a purpose? Looking around Sirius saw not a single person in muggle clothing and Lily would want to blend in. Smiling brightly he walked into Madam Malkin's feeling like he was on the right track.  
  
"How can I help you?" cheerful as always, Madeline Malkin asked when she heard the tinkle of the bell announcing a customer.  
  
"I'm looking for a friend of mine who might have come in here," Sirius said with a smile and leaned upon the counter smiling warmly.  
  
"Really who?" Madeline asked still smiling though she was slightly suspicious.  
  
"Well, she's got red hair and green eyes, she's really pretty," Sirius answered and hoped that he would get a satisfactory answer.  
  
"Ah, yes. She was in a few hours ago," Madeline answered and walked out from behind the counter to a rack that needed to be straightened.  
  
"Did she purchase anything?" Sirius asked as he followed Madeline across the store.  
  
"Yes she did," Madeline answered and faced Sirius with a grim smile.  
  
"May I ask what?" Sirius asked but he got the feeling that he wasn't going to get much more in helpful answers out of her and he was quite right.  
  
"No you may not. She was a kind girl and I helped her out because I knew she was running from something and I'm not about to help those doing the chasing. Now get out of my shop unless you are going to make a purchase," Madeline said and pointed toward the door with a scowl which didn't at all suit her pleasant face.  
  
Sirius held up his hands. "I'm not going to hurt her; I'm trying to help her. I'm sorry for bothering you," he said and turned to go.  
  
Madeline sighed and called out, "A cloak."  
  
Sirius turned back, "What color?" he asked hopefully.  
  
Madeline shrugged, "Many, now go," she said fiercely.  
  
Sirius nodded and mumbled, "Thank you," before leaving and standing outside the robe shop looking at all the people wondering which one Lily could be. He wandered down the Alley a little further stopping in front of The Magical Menagerie and looking up at Gringotts. If he went in there and started asking questions about Lily the Goblins wouldn't be very receiving, they had a slight problem these days with wizards, but they worked diligently none the less. He heard something coming from The Leaky Cauldron side of the Alley and headed back wondering what was happening within the pub walls.  
  
A/N: Now you're wondering what's going on in The Leaky Cauldron. haha. can't tell you, you're gonna have to wait until the next chapter. which is mostly typed up. Keep reading and reviewing guys, suggestions, comments and criticism are welcome and invited! I need ideas! I'm getting a case of writers block. If anyone wants to help me with something Snape related I would appreciate it more then you know!! ~Frankie~ 


	35. Intriuging Tales and Ruthless Men

Author's Note: Hello people, I'm giving you guys this chapter so that you won't freak out at me because of Cliffhangers and such. though you might think this has a cliffhanger as well. *sighs* I hope you like this chapter, it's probably my longest by far. Here are the thank yous:  
  
Captain Oblivious- I managed to talk to Teegs, my plot bunny guru and straighten out what I sent you that email about, the exact wording of things is in this chapter. or at least that first part, but if you have any good ideas I'll be happy to hear them. I hope you like it.  
  
Cassie- Don't worry about the not reviewing. You don't sound unsupportive; I'm just amused by your loathing of Catherine and I'm sorry to say she won't be going away for a while. Don't worry about long reviews either, the longer the better! You'll see how Lily gets found soon enough.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- I'm glad you love my story; I hope that you like this chapter.  
  
I o u a name- Heh, I update as soon as I can. You're just all lucky I've felt like typing and I was sick today. I hope the suspense in this one is enough to live with for a while.  
  
Manny2003- I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, I'm waiting for a few more reviews before I post. I'm glad you love it and think it's great. Thanks much for the review!  
  
Celine- Long time no see! I hope you had a great holiday! And I'm really glad my story stuck out enough for you to come back and see how it's been going since you were away from the Internet. And I promise to let everyone know if I've been struck with major writers block or something and stop writing so don't worry.  
  
JCtigerwolf4e- I'm sorry about the shortness, I wanted to get this entire chapter in one shot so people wouldn't kill me! I hope you like this one as well.  
  
EbonyQuill- I'm getting them out as quick as I can. But I'm thrilled you like the chapter and I hope that you like this one as well.  
  
Mademoiselle Morte- Well here's the next installment! Thanks for your review.  
  
Zebragurl (Faithful Reader) ^_^ - All I can say about them getting together is that there will be a wedding and a baby Harry eventually, but I still haven't written them getting together and I need some things to happen before that time. I modeled Lily's birthday after mine, which is August 19th, and it's only the beginning of July or end of June. I think. I'm glad you'll read the death chapter!  
  
Marie49- Sadly I cannot make Peter sleep forever, though I do make him sleep a lot because I don't like him at all and I don't like writing him. I will try to read your story but I might not have time to do so soon because I have a lot of homework, but I will try.  
  
PinayAko- Really? What story was it? I read so many stories way back that I can't keep em all straight. Thank you for the review though!  
  
Laina3- I'm sorry for keeping you guys all waiting, I would have updated this weekend but I had a lot of homework and FFN was being a butt. But here it is, I hope you like it.  
  
Chapter Thirty Five: Intriguing Tales and Ruthless Men  
  
Lily watched Sirius and Tom exchange words half expecting Tom to point to their table and was greatly relieved when Sirius headed for Diagon Alley instead. She sighed and turned back to Catherine asking, "Where was I?"  
  
"You had been taken under Arabella Figg's wing," Catherine muttered eyeing where Sirius had disappeared into Diagon Alley.  
  
"Oh yes. So after Dumbledore came and talked to me I felt as if my staying would be of some sort of danger or bother to her and so I left when she was sleeping. I was sitting in Muggle London later that morning and a rude man threw a newspaper at me and I found a want ad in it for a housekeeper and went to the address and was hired," Lily explained and was about to continue when a shadow fell over their table. She looked up thinking that Sirius had found her but she was rather surprised at who was standing there.  
  
"Well, well, well Catherine, I never thought you would fraternize with a muggleborn," said the cold voice as he looked disapprovingly down his hooked nose at the brunette girl.  
  
"Severus Snape, what a pleasant surprise," Catherine said with a scowl as she unconsciously grasped the hand of her wand in a tighter grip.  
  
"Yes I imagine it is. What are you doing with her?" Snape asked looking at Lily with a glance wrought with antipathy.  
  
"We're having a conversation if you couldn't tell. And if you also couldn't tell you're not invited," Lily said in a bored voice and sipped her butterbeer nonchalantly.  
  
"Oh harsh words Evans, but I'd truly like to know how you sucked Catherine Mcgeogehegan into your presence," Snape said airily and felt odd speaking to Lily at all like it wasn't something he should or would do. He also wondered where Potter was as he surely wouldn't have strayed far from her on purpose.  
  
"For a bit of intelligent conversation Severus, now go away you're spoiling it," Catherine said lightly and winked at Lily behind a wave of her dark hair that had fallen across her face.  
  
Lily smiled humorously at Catherine and felt an odd sense of companionship with her. "Yes, please do disappear, you ruin the air in the place," Lily said and waved her hand dismissively at Snape.  
  
"I don't think I will. I feel like crashing the party," Snape said and pulled a chair up from and empty table. "Do tell me where Potter has gotten to? I mean he would want his dog to stray too far away," Snape said viciously and was about to seat himself when he found that Lily was now handing beside him and the hood of her cloak had fallen back to reveal her stunning red hair and furious green eyes.  
  
"What did you call me?" Lily asked her temper rising quickly and her blood boiling within her veins.  
  
"A dog, a filthy little mudblood dog," said a voice behind Snape and Lily stood rooted to her spot staring at the pale faced, white blond haired Lucius Malfoy whose pale, almost silver eyes were glinting with a combination of mirth and haughtiness.  
  
Lily pushed Snape aside and walked up to Malfoy and stared directly into his eyes. "You don't scare me Blondie and neither does Snivels over there. You're both just pathetic fools with nothing better to do then torture people who you feel deserve it. It's rather sad actually, trying to gain respect and power when you barely had any to begin with and that only came from your name. Good luck by the way with the narcissist, if you can get her to get her nose out of that mirror that is, she truly suits you," Lily said and pushed past Malfoy laxly.  
  
"Never insult my wife you filth," Malfoy said and turned on Lily with his wand drawn and made to jinx her saying, "Tarantallegra!" but Lily spun her wand in her hand saying, "Protego!" and the curse rebounded upon Malfoy whose legs began jumping about and some of the silent spectators of the show laughed.  
  
Snape whispered, "Finite Incantatum," and Malfoy was still, but looking furious.  
  
"You can't scare me, so don't even try. You're pathetic and the only thing I feel toward you Malfoy is pity. So go home to your wife and have a drink," Lily said and received a mattering of applause before turning and plowing straight into James.  
  
James and Frank had been wandering the muggle streets for hours and Frank was getting tired. "The Leaky Cauldron's just around the corner, let's stop for a drink and rest up before we continue," Frank said and James nodded looking forlornly out at the thinning London crowd. They hadn't any luck at all and James was to the point of giving up. He figured at least a drink would settle his nerves and his stomach.  
  
They stepped into the wizarding pub and James' eyes widened at the scene before him. Lucius Malfoy's legs were bounding around irregularly and Lily's wand was raised at him. Snape whispered something and the curse stopped and Malfoy stood shocked and furious, rooted to his spot while Lily spoke in a voice that made ice run through James' veins. She turned and ran right into him and he helped her keep her balance, she clearly hadn't seen him there. Movement caught James' eye and he saw Catherine Mcgeogehegan slip out of a seat just behind Snape.  
  
"A Slytherin intervention?" James asked curiously not letting go of Lily's arms.  
  
"No, now release me James," Lily said coldly her eyes vibrant with an icy fury.  
  
"Trouble in paradise?" Snape asked lightly with raised eyebrows.  
  
James was about to say something when Lily wrenched herself from his grasp and turned to look at Snape. "Do you really want me to start in on you as well?" Lily asked her wand still gripped in her hand. Snape raised his eyebrows more and Lily turned back around, pushed past James and Frank angrily and left The Leaky Cauldron.  
  
"Well that was interesting," Sirius said walking about into the pub seeing the tail end of the confrontation.  
  
James and Frank followed Lily and Sirius did as well. "Bye boys," Catherine said in a sugary sweet voice and made her way after the four who had left thinking that Lily might need an ally against Potter and Black.  
  
"Lily stop!" James called to the retreating back of the redhead in the flowing black cloak. "Please just wait!" he shouted running to catch up with her.  
  
Lily spun around. "Leave me alone James. I don't want to hear any feeble attempts at apology from you," Lily said harshly seeing Sirius and Frank standing just behind James and Catherine was leaning against the wall of a shop for a better view looking mildly amused. This was definitely going to be interesting.  
  
"Lily please, we are all tired and frustrated. I know it's no excuse but please listen," James said pleadingly.  
  
"I don't want to! I've heard enough and seen enough despicable behavior from you to last me a lifetime and I would truly like to live through the rest of it without you," Lily said and turned to leave.  
  
"Wait please!" James exclaimed as her words stung at him painfully as if he'd just walked into a particularly prickly cactus.  
  
Lily turned again and asked quietly, "Have you apologized to Remus yet?"  
  
James' eyes narrowed, "Why?" he asked.  
  
"Remus is one of you best friends Potter. You treated him as if he were trash to throw about in the street for befriending and helping me! I won't listen to a word you have to say until you apologize to Remus," Lily said scowling up into James' handsome face.  
  
"I don't know where he is. We've all been looking all over London for you," James said quietly as he tried to keep himself from doing a number of stupid things, one that was on the top of the list was crying.  
  
"They will be at Bella's soon," Sirius spoke up for the first time since they got outside.  
  
Lily smiled gravely. "Then Bella's it is. Catherine and I will walk," Lily said glancing at Catherine with a smirk.  
  
"What?" James and Sirius asked at the same time looking both shocked and confused.  
  
"I have a story to finish telling her. You three go on to Bella's and wait and we'll arrive later," Lily said her eyes still glowing with rage.  
  
"Story? What story?" James asked looking back at Catherine who was scowling, most likely at the part of all this that required going to Arabella's.  
  
"It's mine to tell. Now go," Lily said and pointed back toward The Leaky Cauldron where they could Disapparate from.  
  
"Bella won't approve," Sirius said lightly.  
  
"I will speak with Bella, now get going!" Lily said beginning to want to just say 'Fuck off!' and leave England for good.  
  
"How do we know you'll come?" James asked barely above a whisper.  
  
"I haven't lied to you yet James, what makes you think I will start now?" Lily questioned reprovingly.  
  
"Your intense dislike for Potter might give cause for them to question your statement," Catherine said smirking before laughing aloud.  
  
"Catherine," Lily said eyeing her with an exasperated look.  
  
"Lily," Catherine mocked, her smirk was growing larger by the minute.  
  
"ARGH! You have my word James. Now go to Bella's," Lily said preferring to deal with Catherine without the already curious boys. James nodded and walked back to the Leaky Cauldron with Sirius and Frank in tow.  
  
Lily's gaze moved to Catherine. "Your comments weren't necessary," Lily said blandly and walked toward Catherine.  
  
"I know but it was so fun!" Catherine said with a small laugh. "So which way are we headed?" Catherine asked and eyed Lily wondering why she trusted a girl who was caught up with so many Gryffindors.  
  
"Bella's," Lily said with a sigh and began walking with Catherine toward their destination. "Where was I?" Lily asked Catherine tiredly.  
  
"You'd gotten a job as a housekeeper," Catherine said wondering how all that she had heard tied together.  
  
"Right. Well it turned out that James' house was where I would be working. James started talking about Hogwarts, which at that point I didn't know what it was and I asked him about it. Something must have clicked in his brain and he went to Bella's trying to figure out what was going on," Lily paused and looked at Catherine for any questions, but Catherine was just walking along waiting for Lily's explanation of how she knew her.  
  
Lily continued her tale. "After James left I was alone again and Sirius showed up. I sent him off to Bella's and not much later James, Sirius, Arabella and Dumbledore were all telling me I was a witch and that they had deduced that Voldemort didn't want me attending Hogwarts. At first I didn't believe it; growing up in Petunia's house had done a number on me I tell you," Lily said spotting Catherine's curious look turned her attention to her.  
  
"Petunia?" Catherine said questioningly.  
  
"My older sister," Lily said with a sour look. "Anyways, I got a wand at Diagon Alley the next day and when we got back Remus was at James' house and they began to teach me," Lily said and was about to move onto the interesting part when Snape stepped out from a tree just ahead of them. "I think he's bound to keep interrupting me," Lily said with a sigh. "What is it now?" she asked quietly, any previous anger at him a dissipated but could be brought back if he pissed her off again.  
  
Snape raised his eyebrows and pulled a familiar looking frame out of his robes. "I believe you dropped this," Snape said lightly handing the framed picture to Lily slowly.  
  
Lily took it and looked down. The one and only picture she had of her parents and her together was resting in her hands. Lily looked up at Snape questioningly. "Where did you find it?" she asked her voice teeming with emotion.  
  
"Under the table you and Catherine were sitting at," Snape said keeping his gaze away from Catherine's who was looking shocked and incredulously at him.  
  
Lily looked up from the picture again and said, "Thank you," and Snape disappeared from sight with a small popping noise.  
  
"That was peculiar," Catherine whispered and looked at the unmoving picture curiously. A younger looking Lily was standing in between her parents, a young smiling couple. The woman with dark red hair like Lily's and brown eyes; the man with Lily's green eyes but short dark brown hair and both were smiling happily at the camera with arms around their daughter. Catherine noticed the picture wasn't the only thing in the frame and asked, "Is there anything behind the picture?"  
  
Lily looked at in and noticed the unevenness and flipped the frame over to open it. A folded piece of yellowed parchment was behind the picture; Lily removed it and closed the picture frame again before unfolding the parchment slowly. Her eyes widened as she read the familiar yet unfamiliar handwriting:  
  
I do entreat your Grace to pardon me. I know not by what power I am made bold. Nor now it may concern my modesty, in such a presence here to plead my thoughts; But I beseech your Grace that I may know the worst that may befall me in this case,  
If I were to owl you from this day hence?  
  
Catherine immediately recognized the writing but not the words. "What is it?" Catherine asked with an eyebrow raised.  
  
Lily couldn't help but laugh and she wondered why. "It's Shakespeare. From the opening scene of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream," Lily mumbled, "Well, all except the last line," she corrected and looked at the note with wonder.  
  
"Shakespeare? You mean that Muggle Playwright?" Catherine asked quietly, wondering what on earth Snape was trying to get at.  
  
"Yes that would be him," Lily said and folded the note back up and put it in her pocket and the picture frame back into her bag. "We'd better get going or else James might think I've lied to him," Lily said and couldn't understand by Snapes' plagiarism of William Shakespeare would make her want to laugh. 'Oh what James would think,' Lily thought with a silent cackle. Lily wasn't about to sit patiently waiting for James Potter to want her, he's have to work for it! She wondered what James would come up with for an apology and she also wondered whether she would accept.  
  
"Are you going to continue?" Catherine asked Lily who had been smiling evilly to herself since she's last spoken and Catherine wondered what ideas Lily had gotten into her brain.  
  
"Oh! Yes of course," Lily said and began to tale again where Snape had interrupted. "Anyway, all the people that I have met in the wizarding world have seemed very similar to me and we figured out that I'd dreamed what my life would have been like had I gone to Hogwarts," Lily said quickly and Catherine stopped unceremoniously in her tracks.  
  
"What?" Catherine asked looking very confused.  
  
Lily sighed, "I know it's not believable but it's true. Every day that I was supposed to have been at Hogwarts I dreamt what would have been. So I know everyone when I'm not supposed to," Lily said looking at Catherine who was shaking her head at Lily.  
  
"I we were supposed to have met then tell me something about me that you shouldn't know," Catherine said lightly, making it clear that she thought Lily was full of shit.  
  
Lily smiled, it was far too easy, "You had a thing for Sirius that caused you to despise Arabella because she got him and you didn't," she said with a grin.  
  
Catherine looked shocked but said, "How do I know that Figg didn't tell you that?"  
  
"I only remembered you today and I didn't see Bella afterwards except for her shouting in the kitchen while I was sneaking out the front door," Lily said truthfully and Catherine believed.  
  
"Do you have any idea how creepy this is?" Catherine asked quickly as they started down a path into a wooded park.  
  
"Yes I do. I'm remembering more each day," Lily said quietly and pulled Catherine off the path and across the grass toward the street. "Bella's house is just there. You don't have to stay if you don't wish to," Lily said hoping that Catherine would decide to stay. Lily was getting nervous but her energy was ebbing away.  
  
Catherine really had no desire to see Arabella Figg but she also didn't want to leave Lily without support. "What do you take me for Evans, a chicken? Let's go," Catherine said and Lily smiled happily as they started toward Arabella's house.  
  
A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter and I hope that it brought a little more liking to you all in Catherine's regard since I've gotten complaints that I should 'make Catherine go away'. This is one of my favorite chapters so far because there is a lot going on, and I'm eager to hear what you have to say, so tell me what you think in a review!! ~Frankie~ 


	36. Bittersweet Memories

Author's Note: Here's a nice and wonderful chunk of cheese for you all. Heh. I hope you like this chapter, I don't really have much to say, but I'm glad you are all so enthralled with my story. Here are the people I would like to thank:  
  
JCtigerwolf4e  
  
Anarane  
  
Ggal- Hmm. I think I'm not going to have to tell you something. I had to do it, so I guess I should apologize and I'm glad you like Catherine. There's more of her to come. *cackles*  
  
Midnights shadow of insaneness- How do you define creepy?  
  
I o u a name- Snape. well, he's odd. Ask me about my Snape theories if you really wanna know, but it would be a bit of a spoiler.  
  
Poetbrit- I try and I will try to get out another chapter this weekend between homework and seeing Underworld.  
  
Voided- Welcome to the story! It always thrills me to get new reviewers! My dad for some reason thinks that if I were to send this to J.K. she'd like it. yeah right, but, I'm happy enough having reviewers like it. I'm also very honored to be on your favorites list.  
  
MegHarts- Whee, another Catherine affectionate, she will be happy when I tell her. More James idiocy . *cackles* I hope you like it.  
  
Laina3- I wonder now if Catherine will be pleased or if she will be disappointed. I'm not sure if she wanted to be hated or liked. I shall have to ask her this weekend.  
  
Zebragurl- Yes, he's quoting Shakespeare, but there are rumors that ol' William was a witch, or affiliated with them, so that could be my random loophole squasher, depending on if you believe it or not. Lol. I couldn't figure out what Snape should say and so I pulled the Shakespeare down and opened it. Right to the page it was on. It fit. I know it's weird and I've had misgivings about it, but it's a one time thing so far.  
  
Littlewhitehorse- I wish I could tell you, but even I am not entirely sure. She's a character, one I can't quite pin down yet, but you will see eventually.  
  
Diana- Thank you, I'm glad you have confidence in my story.  
  
Chapter Thirty Six: Bittersweet Memories  
  
Arabella and Remus walked out of King's Cross station after a through search without any signs of Lily at all. "Let's just go back to my house and wait for the others," Arabella said with a said and they found an empty alley to disapparate from arriving at Arabella's house moments later. Upon arriving they discovered that James and Sirius had already arrived with Frank Longbottom as well. "Did you find her?" Arabella asked hopelessly.  
  
"Yes," James muttered sipping at a drink that smelled suspiciously like Firewhiskey.  
  
"What? Where is she?" Arabella asked wondering if Lily had gone to the bathroom or something.  
  
"On her way," Sirius said quietly looking up from the crossword he was working on wondering if he should tell Arabella who was going to be setting for in her house or if they should just wait for Lily to get there.  
  
"Alone?" Arabella asked outraged at some people's stupidity.  
  
"Not alone, she's with someone and they should be here soon," James said and took another sip of his drink.  
  
"Remus looked at Sirius questioningly eyeing the drink in James' hand. "Is there something else going on?" Remus asked in an undertone to Sirius.  
  
Sirius looked up at Remus and slowly and deliberately said, "You should be able to figure that out," he paused and looked down at his crossword, writing in the margin, 'James is getting himself drunk,' and then erased it quickly, muttering, "Doesn't fit."  
  
Remus' eyebrows rose slightly. The only time James had purposely gotten drunk had ended badly and Remus had a feeling that it would end similarly this time as well. "No it doesn't," Remus muttered quietly.  
  
There was a knock on the door and Arabella ran to open it. "Li- What is SHE doing here?" Arabella screeched when she caught sight of Catherine standing just behind Lily.  
  
"I invited a friend to join us Bella, calm down," Lily said with an eyebrow raised in amusement.  
  
"A friend! How could she be a friend of yours? She's horrible!" Arabella said indignantly starting at Catherine with disgust.  
  
"Alright, goodnight Bella," Lily said and began to turn away to leave.  
  
"What? Where are you going? Will someone please tell me what the bloody hell is going on here?!" Arabella asked turning to look at Sirius, James and Frank, her eyes flashing angrily.  
  
"They didn't tell you?" Lily asked pausing and turning back around. "That's very interesting," she said with a sigh, "But the only way I will come in is if Catherine is allowed as well."  
  
Arabella scowled and then sighed, "Find, but I want some answers," she said and stepped aside to allow Lily and Catherine inside.  
  
"Everyone's arrived just in time for the party," James muttered loudly.  
  
Lily raised her eyebrows at Sirius who made a motion with his hands to imply drinking. Lily turned to James and crouched down near him. "James are you okay?" she asked and James just looked at her with dead eyes. "Damnit James, what is wrong with you?" Lily whispered, she knew he was drunk and didn't expect a response.  
  
Catherine put a hand on Lily's shoulder and said, "Despite my better judgment it might be smart for you to just let him sleep it off."  
  
"Catherine, I allowed you into my house because Lily asked me to, don't make me kick you out," Arabella said quietly.  
  
"Bella don't. What she said makes perfect sense, so don't be rude because you dislike her as a person," Lily said reasonably.  
  
"She insulted James," Arabella said angrily and was surprised to see Lily smile.  
  
"It did sound like that, didn't it," Lily said and looked over at Catherine whose eyebrows were raised indifferently.  
  
"Lily are you okay?" Remus asked quietly.  
  
"Yes Remus, I'm okay. No will someone help me get James to the bathroom?" Lily asked and looked at James who had passed out, empty glass lying on its side just under James' fingertips. Her took of her cloak and threw it over a chair as Remus and Sirius lifted James out of the chair he was in. "Put him in the bathtub," Lily called as they carried James up the stairs.  
  
"May I ask what you're going to do to my nephew?" Frank asked quietly.  
  
"Something similar to what Hagrid did when he got plastered," Lily said lightly and headed up the stairs and into the bathroom.  
  
"You want us to stay?" Sirius asked quietly.  
  
"No I can't deal with James," Lily said and Sirius and Remus nodded heading back down the stairs.  
  
Lily sighed and pulled the showerhead down into her hands and turned the cold water on pointing the spray at James' face. "EEAARRGH!" James shouted attempting to cover his face to get away from the water.  
  
Lily turned the water off and said, "Hi James," in a cheerful tone of voice.  
  
"Why the hell did you do that?" James sputtered wiping at the water that was clinging to his face and dripping from his hair.  
  
"We had a deal, I kept my end of the bargain, you still have yet to keep yours," Lily said and offered James a hand so he could get up.  
  
James was almost tempted not to take Lily's hand but knew that offending her further would be futile, so he took her and hand pushed himself up, almost slipping before he was able to climb out of the tub. "Lily-," James started to say but her fingers came up to press on his lips.  
  
"Remus first," Lily said and raised her eyebrows in something close to amusement before saying, "Or maybe a clothing change before hand."  
  
James looked down, his white tee shirt was sopping wet and his black slacks weren't looking much better. "Sounds like a plan," James said and noticed the corners of Lily's mouth twitch.  
  
"I'll go let everyone know I haven't drowned you," Lily said with a smirk.  
  
"I think Catherine is wearing off on you," James said with a smirk of his own as he pulled off his glasses to dry them on a nearby towel.  
  
"She's been wearing off on me for years James," Lily said quietly as James replaced the glasses on his nose.  
  
"What?" James said curiously.  
  
"I'm remembering more and more James. Catherine was my best friend, not Bella," Lily said quietly. "Bella and I were very close, but not as close as Catherine and I," Lily whispered looking confused at her own statement.  
  
Hearing Lily's words inspired an odd feeling in James and he found himself asking before he could stop himself, "What House were you in?"  
  
Lily looked affronted. "Where do you think I was James?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I don't know, you tell me," James said, his voice even quieter then Lily's.  
  
"Same as you James, Gryffindor," Lily said then asked, "Do you think that I was a Slytherin because I made Slytherin friends? Catherine wasn't the only one either," she turned and walked out of the bathroom leaving James soaking wet and freezing cold.  
  
He muttered to himself, "I'm sure racking up the things I need to apologize to Lily for," and he closed the door to removed and dry his clothes.  
  
Downstairs everyone was waiting anxiously for signs of crashing or banging. All they heard was James' shout as he was doused unceremoniously with cold water and Lily's footsteps as she descended the stairs a few minutes later.  
  
"Did you kill him?" Catherine couldn't help but asked when Lily appeared in the kitchen were where everyone had congregated around the table.  
  
"No, he's alive," Lily said lightly and took a seat to wait for James to head down. She sighed as she sat; wanting to just keep over and sleep for hours but that wasn't a choice she had. She had to wait for James to apologize to Remus and then to her which would probably wind up turning into a spat neither of them wanted.  
  
"Would you like some coffee or tea Lily?" Arabella asked somewhat coldly.  
  
"Coffee might wake me up but it doesn't matter either way," Lily muttered and crossed her arms on the table, resting her forehead on them so she could see her knees. "I just want to get this over with," she muttered and found herself wondering where she was going to stay if she and James' differences were irreconcilable. She imagined Arabella might take her in but she would miss James' house and not to mention the only spell she'd remember was the shield charm to block Malfoy's jinx and it had just come out of her mouth; she'd probably been more shocked then Malfoy could have possibly been.  
  
Around Lily the atmosphere suddenly changed. She wasn't sitting in Arabella's kitchen, but in a room lit by a fire full of red, gold and moving portraits. She was huddled in an armchair with her feet tucked beneath her and a letter in the arm of the chair from Petunia. It looked as if it was hastily written and a few tear stains marred the parchment.  
  
Dear Sister,  
  
There has been an accident. Our parents were killed. I'm sorry that I had to tell you like this. See you at the end of the year.  
  
Petunia Dursley  
  
There were tears falling from her eyes and she wiped them on her robes. The owl had come in the middle of the Halloween feast and Lily had just taken the letter from the owl and pocketed it forgetting about it until just moments before. Her parents were dead, it wasn't believable but Petunia never wrote to her and she wasn't one for gags. Lily was trying to keep the sound of her tears down; she didn't want to be heard in the dormitories.  
  
Suddenly a noise was heard on the boy's staircase and Lily called out, "Whoever you are you should be in bed." She'd just become a prefect and she thought if whoever it was knew her voice they would turn right around and go back to bed. However the footsteps on the staircase only paused at the sound of her voice before continuing lightly down the stairs. Lily made herself smaller in the chair and hoped whoever it was wouldn't talk to her. She wiped her eyes just incase.  
  
"The same could be said about you," said the boy and Lily just wanted to die. James Potter was standing just behind her chair.  
  
"I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to wake anyone," Lily muttered and buried her face in her knees. She heard James move so he was crouching in front of the chair. "Please go away," Lily said and fought to hold back a sob, she didn't succeed. The sob came out loudly and Lily blushed in embarrassment; it was bad enough she was crying, now her face was even redder.  
  
"What's happened?" James asked, there was concern in his voice and it made Lily feel even worse.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it, please leave me alone," Lily said shifting uncomfortably, knocking the letter of the chair and into James' lap.  
  
James tried not to read it, but it was so short that he caught it's meaning in moments. "I'm so sorry Lily," James whispered putting a hand delicately on her knee.  
  
"Don't touch me!" Lily said knocking James' hand away and looked up at him with her tear stained face. She saw the letter in his hands. "You nosy little bastard! You read my letter!" she said in an outraged voice and grabbed the letter from him stuffing it into her robes.  
  
"Lily calm down! It feel in my lap when you moved. I saw the words 'accident' and 'killed'. I didn't mean too, in fact I was trying my hardest not to," James hastily explained as Lily attempted to climb over the side of the chair to get away and she tripped over her robes. James caught her before she feel and helped her to her feet. "Please believe me!" James whispered his hands on her arms as he drew her to her feet.  
  
Lily struggled to get away, she didn't want him seeing her cry, and the situation was already horrible. "Let me go, I don't need your help. You'll just go off and tell the whole school you saw Evans crying," Lily rambled just trying to get James to let her go. She didn't want his help or support and the quickest way to make him go away was to insult him, or so she thought.  
  
"You really think I would do that?" James said quietly the hurt in his voice very evident.  
  
Lily couldn't lie even if she wanted to make him go away she couldn't cause him pain. "No! Just let me go. I don't need your help," Lily said and her legs collapsed under her. James caught her instantly. "I don't need anyone's help," she whispered into his chest.  
  
"Shh, it's okay," James said picking her up and carrying her over to a couch and setting her there gently. She immediately rolled over and buried her face in the cushion while James sat on the floor next to her.  
  
"It's not okay James, my parent's are dead!" Lily shouted into the cushion and it was muffled but James heard every word clearly and the heartbreak that was eating away at her.  
  
James closed his eyes and put a hand on Lily's shoulder. "So are mine," he whispered and Lily's head turned slowly to look at him.  
  
"They are?" Lily asked quietly and James nodded looking grim. "How?" she asked even quieter before sniffling.  
  
James' eyes closed again and he said, "Voldemort killed them last summer."  
  
"Oh God James, I'm sorry I asked," Lily muttered and turned her head back into the cushion her sobbing starting again, but it wasn't only for her parents, it was now also for James and bringing up the similar pain.  
  
"Don't worry about that," James said quietly and paused a moment before saying, "I just want you to know you're not alone Lily and if you want someone to talk to about what you're going through you can talk to me if you want." He touched her shoulder sensitively before starting to climb to his feet.  
  
"Don't go, please?" Lily asked and James dropped back down so that they were looking at each other.  
  
"Only if you don't want me to," James whispered slowly reaching out to brush away Lily's tears.  
  
"I don't want you to," Lily whispered and bit her lip.  
  
"Then I won't," James said and watched as Lily sat up and wiped her eyes.  
  
"Sit on the couch then," Lily whispered and a tear trickled down her cheek.  
  
James nodded and sat so that one of his legs was on the couch and the other was dangling over the side. He tentatively took one of Lily's hands in his and rubbed his thumb gently across the back. Lily leaned against the back of the couch and looked at James. "Thank you," Lily whispered and tried to smile but she couldn't.  
  
"You're welcome Lily," James said slowly and that's when she noticed something.  
  
"You stopped calling me Evans," Lily whispered and James grinned.  
  
"I have haven't I? I guess it didn't seem appropriate considering the circumstances," James said and suddenly turned serious. "But if you want me to call you Evans I can," he said slowly.  
  
Lily shook her head, "I like Lily better," she said and looked at James again.  
  
"Then Lily it is," James said and leaned toward her slowly. "Are lily's your favorite flower?" he asked quietly.  
  
"One of them," Lily said wondering why it was suddenly rather hard to breathe.  
  
James smiled and let go of Lily's hand. He pulled a silver Sickle and his wand from his pocket; he set the Sickle in Lily's open palm and said, "Watch," before whispering something under head breath and the sickle changed slowly from a coin into a white lily with silver speckles on the petals.  
  
Lily gasped. "It's beautiful James," she said just staring at the flower before raising it to her nose and smelling it. It didn't smell like a lily but like Lily's shampoo. She raised her eyebrows.  
  
James hadn't taken notice of her curious expression and he whispered, "You're beautiful too," and he suddenly turned bright red as if he hadn't meant to say it.  
  
Lily blushed and said, "No, I'm all blotchy."  
  
"No. You're not blotchy, just said and I wish I could make you happy again," James said and touched Lily's cheek feeling the fresh tears start to fall from her green eyes.  
  
"Oh James!" Lily said and flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly.  
  
James blushed furiously and wound his arms around her too, one of his hands finding a place enveloped in her hair and was shocked down to his toes when Lily climbed over his bent leg and sat on his thigh all without loosening her arms. "L-Lily?" James questioned as he blinked rapidly.  
  
"C-could you just hold me for a while?" Lily asked looking into his eyes quickly, as if searching for permission or something else entirely.  
  
"If that's what you want," James said and swallowed unconsciously as they both shifted so that Lily was lying between James' body and the back of the couch and her arms were wound around him.  
  
Lily's breathing became steady and even and James thought she had fallen asleep and he whispered into her hair, "I've got to be the luckiest guy in the world to be allowed to hold her while she sleeps." He touched his lips to her forehead subtly and he sighed. "I wish this night would last forever," he said and slowly fell asleep unaware that Lily had heard every word.  
  
A/N: So what do you people all think? Good, bad, stupid? Let me know in a REVIEW!! Oh and sorry for the cliffhanger. ~Frankie~ 


	37. Redemption and Disgrace

Authors Note: Hmm, writing this before I type up the chapter so yeah. here are the people I wish to thank:  
  
Voided- Maybe I will send it to her, if I can find out how to get in contact with her and hope that she has time to read it. Sorry about the cliffy-ness of it all, I just didn't want to include this whole next chapter in the last one.  
  
I o u a name- Attempting to dear, attempting to.  
  
Poetbrit- Cute was the purpose, James' Redemption. ooh, that could be the title. * cackle *  
  
Ggal- Yes, this is Jamesy-poo's forgiveness. apology bit, whatever. There is more then Sirius to this, they're from different houses, their personalities are so very opposite its scary. you'll start to understand soon, its one of the major sub-plots that ties in with the major plot.* sigh * it's complicated, please be patient. I cackled because of the Snape stuff.  
  
Tweety bird- Overall eh? Meh. Sorry, Lily & James lovey-dovey crap isn't a thing I really want this early in the story, because its only been like a week since Lily found Arabella and I have other plans. I might have gotten glamour from Anita Blake, because I do read them, or I might have gotten it from The Craft, I do not know where, only that it is part of my mental vocabulary. What does it matter any way?  
  
Jctigerwolf4e- Woah. That's a lot of complimentary words and they are all in caps. ^_^! * beams * I'm doing my best to get the chapters out as fast as I can.  
  
Anarane- Yes, she does. But she's stubborn.  
  
Black Snow- Whee, new reviewer. Thanks, I'm glad you like fluff; I'm slowly trying to incorporate it into the story because it's more a drama then a romance, at least in my eyes. I'm trying not to have the main topic be Lily and James getting together, or it would bore me, so I make other things the major idea.  
  
Mademoiselle Mort- Yes, I know and I apologize.  
  
Kristatwen- Hey! You've returned! Long time no see. Sorry for the cliffhanger, I'm doing my best to update quickly.  
  
Liz411- Two year olds are cute though! Heh. New reviewer! Yay!  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- Trying to update on weekends; Fridays and Saturdays specifically, unless I have a billion tons of homework and no time to.  
  
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Redemption and Disgrace  
  
"Lily?" Catherine's voice called her out of her memories.  
  
Lily looked up and saw everyone looking at her curiously. Lily could feel tears on her face and said, "I must have fallen asleep," and then wiped her face with her hands. She looked around; James was standing over by the stairs as if he'd frozen in his tracks. Remus, Sirius and Frank were still seated at the table looking expectantly at her. Catherine was crouched next to her and Arabella was still in the kitchen looking ornery.  
  
"Why were you crying?" James asked quietly. He'd come down the stairs to see everyone gathered around the kitchen table and Lily slumped over twitching slightly as if crying and then Catherine had gone to see if she was all right.  
  
Lily blinked and said quietly, "I don't know." It technically wasn't a lie; she didn't know why she'd been crying. She thought it was just her memory but she wasn't about to announce it to the world, she would have to explain it, in detail and there was already too much tension in the room.  
  
James didn't want to say anything to make Lily any angrier with him so he kept his doubts to himself and nodded his head. Changing the subject James said, "Maybe we should just get this over with." To his utmost surprise Lily nodded and turned to glance at Remus who looked slightly confused.  
  
"Lily won't let me apologize to her until I apologize to you Remus," James said and looked down at his shoes.  
  
Remus raised an eyebrow at this and said, "Do you really want to apologize to me James or is it just because Lily told you to?" He didn't look at all happy with the situation.  
  
James knew he should have just started with his apology because how he'd said it made Remus believe he was just a pawn in a game to get to Lily. He sighed, "Remus you are one of my best friends and you should know by now that any apology I give, I mean and I fully intended to apologize to you before Lily had said anything to make it feel like an uncomfortable obligation," James said and looked at Remus to see if he would even listen to anything that he had to say.  
  
Remus sighed, it was hard to remain angry at James Potter and so he said, "Continue," even though he didn't need to hear the apology and looking over at Lily made him wonder if she needed to hear it either because she was looking down at the table uncomfortably.  
  
James sighed and glanced at Lily, all he could see of her face was her cheek; her fiery hair tumbling down her shoulders obscured the rest. He turned back to Remus and began. "I've acted like an insufferable git towards you Remus. I was jealous of you when I shouldn't have been and it was extremely wrong of me to use anything I've ever learned or guessed about you against you. It was entirely unfair of me to do and say what I did because of my ego or my wounded pride. I'm sorry that I acted the fool, will you forgive me?" James said and looked at Remus hopefully.  
  
Remus sighed and thought that it was a very good apology. "Yes James, you should have known I didn't need it," he said and smiled genially.  
  
James smiled back. Of course he knew but it needed to be said for many reasons. He looked to Lily who wasn't looking at him or Remus but at the floor. "Lily-," he began but she interrupted him. "Perhaps it would be better to have this conversation in private," she whispered and stood up slowly.  
  
"Okay," James said and could have breathed a sigh of relief but refrained from it. Lily walked over to him and took his hand leading him outside. "Where are we going?" he asked as they walked off Arabella's property.  
  
"Into the park," Lily said quietly and they walked in silence for a few moments before Lily stopped walking and looked at James. She wasn't entirely sure she would be able to listen to James' apology without breaking down in tears and she didn't want to explain why she'd had her change of heart.  
  
James watched as Lily seemed to have an internal debate and quietly asked, "Would you like me to apologize now?" He watched her nod very briefly and was amazed at how beautiful she looked as the orange glow of the setting sun lit up her hair. "Lily, I know that I acted like a prat today toward you and Remus. I shouldn't have acted how I did this morning when you said that you and Remus had been talking. I was jealous because you'd remembered things about him and nothing about me, or at least nothing complimentary and I should have let you remember in your own time rather than forcing it from you," James said and he couldn't look at her. He wished that she would say something, but was overly shocked when she actually did.  
  
"The thing by the lake isn't the only thing I've remembered," Lily whispered and sat down on the cool grass.  
  
"What?" James said his eyes wide with shock.  
  
"I should probably tell you about the lake incident first," Lily said and motioned for James to sit down and he did.  
  
"Okay," James said and watched her wring her hands nervously.  
  
"You and Sirius were messing with Snape and I was sick of it. So I went to stop you. You told me that the only way you would leave him alone was if I went on a date with you. I hated you, I wasn't about to accept and I told you I would rather date the giant squid. Snape said he didn't need my help and so I left," Lily said leaving out a few of the details.  
  
James knew she'd left something out but decided not to press the matter. "Is that all?" James asked quietly and wished he could just hold her, just for a moment, because he wanted to comfort her, to be close to her.  
  
"That happened after your O.W.L.'s when I was in my fourth year. During my fifth year my parents died," Lily said and this time James too her hand firmly in his to comfort her. "I got the letter during the Halloween feast but didn't open it until later when I was alone in the common room. I was crying, trying not to be heard, curled up in an armchair near the fire and you came down the stairs. You should behind the chair and I tried to hide my face. I didn't want you to see me but you didn't leave and the letter fell into your lap while I wasn't looking. You told me you didn't mean to read it and that I wasn't alone; that your parents had died the previous summer. You distracted me by turning a Sickle into a lily and." she trailed off unsure of how to phrase what had happened.  
  
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," James said quietly even though his curiosity was killing him. 'I'd been alone with a beautiful girl in the common room that he liked, what happened?' his thoughts screamed at him and he tried not to look overly anxious.  
  
Lily finally looked up, there was a sheen of tears in her eyes and she said, "You held me there on the couch until we both fell asleep." She looked down at her hands and covered her face, as she was unable to refrain from crying any longer.  
  
James slowly pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried. "Shh, Lily it will be okay," he whispered and kissed her forehead softly.  
  
Slowly Lily calmed down enough to say, "That was how we became friends James, that night in the common room. It wasn't possible to hate you after that even if I had tired. Catherine was so annoyed with me for that but she couldn't hate you either, or at least not for that. She might have disliked you on principal because you were popular and a Gryffindor but after that night she didn't hate you," Lily was beginning to ramble and her eyes were starting to glaze over. "I'm so tired James. I just want to go home," she said and looked up at him.  
  
Looking into Lily's eyes James felt his heart jump in his chest and something else come loose inside him and seem to float around her. "You are so beautiful its impossible to describe," James whispered and wanted to kiss her but wasn't about to kiss her if she didn't want him to.  
  
Lily wanted to kiss him but she was sick of making the first move in their 'relationship'. "We should probably let them know we haven't killed each other yet," Lily whispered as she touched his cheek gently.  
  
"That might be a good idea," James whispered back to her bringing one of his own hands up to her cheek and caressing the smooth skin with his thumb. "But I think I have a better one," he muttered barely a breath away from her lips- "James! Lily!" called a voice and James pulled away saying, "Sirius has the worst bloody timing," and Sirius came into view.  
  
"There's been a problem," Sirius said looking sheepishly at Lily and James, he knew he'd interrupted something big and chastised himself for it, but the horrible timing couldn't be helped.  
  
Lily closed her eyes and muttered, "Catherine."  
  
As James and Lily walked out of Arabella's house the others watched wondering what was going to happen. "Why do you think they went outside?" Catherine asked curiously.  
  
"Are you stupid or just dense?" Arabella snapped back; she had no desire to make Catherine Mcgeoghegan feel wanted in her house and was tempted to kick her out.  
  
"Didn't your parents teach you it was rude to answer a question with a question Arabella?" Catherine replied silkily.  
  
"Don't talk about my parents. You don't have the right," Arabella said angrily and pulled her wand from her pocket.  
  
Catherine raised her eyebrows. "Doesn't take much to get your fire going does it Arabella," Catherine stated her voice effortless and cool.  
  
"Bella sweetheart, calm down," Sirius said calmly standing up.  
  
"I don't want to calm down! I'm sick and tired of her always sniping at me. I'm sick and tired of her period," Arabella said her wand still pointed at Catherine who hadn't moved and was looking extremely amused.  
  
"Don't do anything you'll regret in the morning Figg," Catherine said quietly.  
  
"Catherine, stop baiting her!" Sirius shouted looking at her quickly.  
  
"I asked a simple question. I do believe that it was Miss Figg who started with the sarcastic comments dear Sirius," Catherine said loftily, as if the scene taking place before her couldn't have made her bat an eye.  
  
"Don't talk to him," Arabella hissed and gripped her wand tightly in her hand.  
  
"What? Do you think that just my speaking to your boyfriend is going to make him switch lovers? Or is it just misplaced jealousy?" Catherine said with a smirk.  
  
"Catherine-," Sirius began but Arabella had already shouted, "Stupefy!" at Catherine who had no chance to respond or duck and collapsed onto the floor.  
  
"Damnit Bella! What is your problem?" Sirius asked as he bent down to see if Catherine was seriously injured.  
  
"Get away from her!" Arabella said fiercely.  
  
"Bella, I think it might be time for you to go take a nap," Remus whispered quietly and kept an eye on Arabella's wand incase she got the idea to give him the same treatment.  
  
"Don't get me started Remus," Arabella said angrily.  
  
"Remus, take Catherine to James' house with Frank through the Floo Network. I'll go find James and Lily. Bella, I don't even know what to say to you at this moment," Sirius said looking at Arabella in a very disappointed manner before he ran out of the house calling for James and Lily.  
  
When Sirius found James and Lily they were sitting on the grass and he felt like kicked Arabella for rising to Catherine's antagonism and kicking Catherine for being Catherine. "There's been a problem," he said looking at Lily awkwardly.  
  
Lily's eyes closed and she muttered, "Catherine." She opened her eyes and looked at James. "We'd better go back," she said and James nodded. They climbed to their feet and started back toward the house quickly. "What happened?" she asked but she had a feeling that it had something to do with Arabella.  
  
"Catherine was being Catherine and she and Bella got into it. Bella overreacted, though she will never admit it, and then she Stupefied Catherine," Sirius said and sighed. "Remus is taking Catherine to your house James," he said looking at James expectantly.  
  
James sighed, "Alright," he said remember what lily had said. "Let's sort Bella out and go deal with Catherine," he said and looked and Lily and Sirius who both had their eyebrows raised at him, they had been expecting him to protest, loudly, but he didn't.  
  
They walked back into Arabella's house and Frank and Remus had already taken Catherine to James' house and Arabella was pacing the kitchen angrily. "Bella?" Lily said when they got inside and she spotted her cloak and diary sitting by the kitchen table.  
  
"I want you out of here Lily. It's your fault she was here in the first place," Arabella said pointing to the grate which was still lit with the fire Remus and Frank had used.  
  
"Bella hold on a second," Lily protested quickly.  
  
"No, I will not wait a second. I want you gone," Arabella said her eyes glinting furiously.  
  
"If that's what you want, find," Lily said and put her cloak on, clutched her diary tightly and walked over to the grate, grabbed a fistful of Floo powder and said, "See you Bella," and then she threw the glittering dust into the flames which glowed emerald green. "Godric's Hollow," she shouted and stepped into the fire disappearing to James' house.  
  
"That really wasn't necessary Bella. Don't forget your responsibility to help Lily with learning magic, Dumbledore will be disappointed. See you at my place Sirius," James said calmly and disapparated back to his house.  
  
"Sirius?" Arabella said questioningly.  
  
"Bella, I love you, you've known that forever. Not once have I run to Catherine since we broke up the first time, nor will I ever. So get over it and move on. When you've grown up I'll be at James' helping Lily," Sirius said and he too disapparated leaving Arabella alone to brood on her infantile behavior. She collapsed into a chair and started to cry wondering what she'd done.  
  
A/N: How's that for a twist? * Cackles * I think it's interesting. Anyways, this thought came to me as I was typing. When Bella says, "Get away from her!" I got this picture of Ursula from The Little Mermaid in my head. I laughed. I think I might have been watching that when I wrote it too. I was on a Disney jag a few weeks back, but I liked this chapter. Don't ask unless you really want to know. I hope you all enjoyed my little twist. Please review!! The more you say the more I reply!! ~Frankie~ 


	38. Interesting Bed Quarters

Author's Note: Hello children. I've got another chapter for you, be thankful, my hands are killing me. Stupid carpel tunnel. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. It's a bit goofy but there are a lot of important things that you need to remember in here or many chapters from now you'll be confused. So remember this chapter. Disclaimer: I own nothing! Most characters you recognize are J.K. Rowling's and those which you don't belong to someone else or possibly me. Either way, here are the people to thank:  
  
Ggal- I know they're overreacting, and PMS seems to be the strong underlying theme in this story, doesn't it? I think you'll find this chapter interesting. *smirks*  
  
MegHarts- Bella is confused. But she'll get straightened out. I liked the James/Lily scene too, probably one of my finer moments of fluff.  
  
Celine- Another Catherine fan, I'm getting so many mixed reviews about her it's hilarious. At least to me because I know what's gonna happen. Welcome back by the way, haven't heard from you in a while. Catherine being Catherine is hard to explain. She's Slytherin and sarcastic, so she's pretty much the exact opposite of Arabella. Oh and thank you for reviewing The Twilight Zone. If I can find the notebook I wrote the plots to the next bits I would update it. I'm glad you thought it funny.  
  
Poetbrit- The tension will probably cool down once people are all settled, I hope. All the answers are in the story. well, sort of. *wonders if she should write a back story about how Catherine and Arabella's dislike of each other started*  
  
I o u a name- Thanks hun, I'm doing my best.  
  
JCtigerwolf4e- I'm glad you liked the twist. I hope you like this chapter and I'm doing my best to keep things going.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- You never thought Bella would throw Lily out eh? Heh. I guess I surprised everyone.  
  
Liz411- I'm glad you like them making up. I'm trying to keep things rolling and I hope you like this chapter as well.  
  
Cassie- We all are glad about L/J making up. You're mad at Bella but you still don't like Catherine? Hmm, well maybe things will change. You can trust her you know. *cackles*  
  
Zebragurl- I've had trouble incorporating Voldie horrors, I keep forgetting and when I do write something with Voldie I think its crap and wind up not including it. *sighs* I'm trying to work Voldie back in, but it's difficult. You're requesting more Snape/Shakespeare stuff? Hmm, well I don't know. The first one was random and I just opened up my great big book of Shakespeare and that bit was there and it fit, so I'm not sure if there will be more Snape/Shakespeare because I'm not exactly a Shakespeare affectionado, mainly because it takes so long to read things, but he might quote other poets or something, I haven't decided yet.  
  
Anarane- Thanks.  
  
Kristatwen- Don't worry about the odd moods, everyone gets them. I'm glad your life's calmed down so you could come back and read again.  
  
Captain Oblivious- I hope that college gets better for you and I will try to update as often as I can.  
  
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Interesting Bed Quarters  
  
Remus came through the grate holding the unconscious Catherine just after Frank had come through the grate himself. Remus shifted and picked Catherine completely up. "Where should we put her?" Frank asked curiously.  
  
"Lily's room would probably do best," Remus said and walked through James' room with the unspoken idea to keep Catherine unconscious until Lily was there to 'control' her.  
  
Peter came scurrying up the stairs. "What's going on? Why's she here?" he asked with wide eyes when he saw Catherine.  
  
"Been a bit of a problem," Frank said as Remus didn't pause but kept going into Lily's room.  
  
Remus set Catherine down gently on the bed and muttered, "What were they thinking?" before turning back to leave Lily's room as James and Sirius were coming up the stairs. "Where's Lily?" Remus asked and raked his fingers through his hair.  
  
"Flooed, she should be here soon," James said and walked into his room to wait for her.  
  
Sirius looked at Remus sadly and sighed. "Bella needs to realize that I don't like Catherine in the same way as I like her. It's getting so annoying to think about Bella getting jealous," he said quietly and sighed again, he felt like everything he wanted was falling apart.  
  
"Don't worry Padfoot, when Bella realizes that you only care about her and that anything with Catherine at Hogwarts was fleeting, she'll apologize to you and Lily for being unreasonable," Remus said throwing an arm over Sirius' shoulders.  
  
"Yeah, I know, it's just rather frustrating," Sirius said with a sigh as they walked into James' room to wait for Lily.  
  
Lily arrived a few moments later and dusted her cloak off which was now a pale sort of gray. "Where'd you put Catherine?" Lily asked as soon as she stepped out of the grate.  
  
"Your room," Remus replied and Lily nodded.  
  
"Now I understand what Madam Malkin said," Sirius muttered and prodded Lily's cloak still draped over her shoulder.  
  
"What's that?" Lily asked curiously as she looked at where Sirius had poked with his finger.  
  
"Your cloak changes colors," Sirius said brightly.  
  
"Really? I didn't notice," Lily said and looked down at her cloak as she took it off. "We should go wake Catherine and hope that she doesn't head to Bella's to maim or injure her," Lily said throwing her cloak over the arm that held her diary.  
  
They all walked down the hall to Lily's room and James whispered, "Enerverate," as they got to the bedside.  
  
Catherine groaned and opened her eyes. "That hurt," she said and sat up looking at all the faces around her. Lily was sitting on the bed looking anxious. James was standing just beside Lily still holding his wand with an apprehensive look about him. Remus and Sirius were standing at the foot of the bed; Remus looking vaguely amused and Sirius rather sad. Frank and Peter stood near the door; Frank looked tired and Peter, well he looked almost nervous.  
  
"Catherine, are you okay?" Lily asked quickly.  
  
"I'm wonderful," Catherine said sarcastically. "Except for the whole being knocked unconscious thing that is," she said with a grim smile before she looked around. "I'm guessing this isn't Figgs' house, so where am I?" she asked even though she suspected that she already knew.  
  
"You're in my house Catherine, so please be respectful," James said eyeing her cautiously.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll be a perfect little angel Potter," Catherine said lightly and rolled her eyes.  
  
"What are you going to do to Arabella?" Sirius asked knowing that Catherine tended to get revenge on anyone that messed with her.  
  
Catherine looked at Sirius with a grimace. "What do you think I'm going to do to her Sirius? Drive her insane slowly and when I tire of her kill her? I'm not nearly that kind," she said sarcastically and chucked.  
  
Lily knew Catherine wouldn't mortally injure Arabella but she did wonder what exactly the girl would do, but the others were slight nervous at this declaration and didn't know what to think. "Alright, everyone out. Catherine and I need to talk," Lily said in a firm tone of voice and all of the guys muttered under their breaths as they walked out of the room.  
  
"Am I in for a heart to heart of a lecture Lily?" Catherine asked and made herself comfortable on Lily's bed.  
  
"What do you think Catherine?" Lily said lightly and raised an eyebrow at the dark haired girl.  
  
"Shucks, I was hoping for the lecture," Catherine remarked and closed her eyes.  
  
"It's not funny Catherine. You never know when something you say might come back to haunt you," Lily said seriously and watched Catherine for any sighs of comprehension.  
  
"Oh don't worry. I wouldn't kill Figg, I don't have the heart. About all I would do is turn her into a ferret and sell her at my shop," Catherine said laxly and sighed before opening her eyes to watch Lily carefully.  
  
Lily groaned loudly. "You are so bloody frustrating Cat," she said and fell back on the bed longing for sleep.  
  
Catherine snapped up to a sitting position. "Don't call me Cat, Tiger Lily," she said with a quiet kind of malice.  
  
"How about we just forget the nicknames and the revenge plots and move on," Lily muttered in an annoyed tone and looked over at Catherine who was smirking. "Don't even think of acting on your ferret plans or I will make sure you never live it down," Lily muttered before yawning lengthily.  
  
"A girl can dream can't she?" Catherine said lightly and laughed quietly.  
  
"I swear that sometimes you are completely insane," Lily said and laughed as well.  
  
"No, not completely, just extremely," Catherine said with a smirk and they both busted up into hysterical laughter.  
  
The guys went down to the kitchen where Frank bit everyone goodnight and apparated home. "I'm so tired," Remus said and yawned loudly.  
  
"Don't talk about it, we're all exhausted," Jams said and yawned as well.  
  
Sirius yawned too and looked up at the ceiling. "Do you think Catherine meant what she said?" he asked quietly of his friends.  
  
"She might," Peter said quietly as well and everyone looked at him. "What? You always said that anything is possible from a Slytherin," Peter said nervously.  
  
"Anything is possible from a lot of people but that doesn't mean that Catherine will ever act on sarcasm," Remus said lightly and rolled his eyes at the pudgy young man.  
  
"Catherine's gift is sarcasm," Sirius muttered just as peels of hysterical laughter came from above them.  
  
"What do you think they're talking about?" Peter asked quietly.  
  
"Well, I honestly doubt that they are planning Bella's demise so it's probably girl stuff," James muttered and wondered how long the girls were going to act like girls.  
  
"Does James desire some 'alone with Lily' time?" Sirius said with a sweetly innocent smile.  
  
"Padfoot, it might be good if you were to start running now," Remus said with a laugh and Sirius bolted up the backstairs barging into Lily's room.  
  
"Help me!" Sirius said and dove over the bed where the girls were laughing to hide behind the bed jus t as James flew into the room followed by the curious looking Remus and Peter.  
  
"Why on earth are you chasing Sirius this time James?" Lily asked eyeing James curiously.  
  
James' only audible reply was a growl. "He said James wanted some alone time with you Lily," Remus said with a smirk as Sirius could be heard whimpering.  
  
"Just a friendly little joke," Sirius said looking up at Lily from the edge of the bed with pleading eyes.  
  
"Why did I even ask?" Lily sighed and rolled her eyes at them both. "Will either of you ever grow up? I swear when you weren't pranking Snape you were chasing Sirius around the common room as if trying to capture a wild animal," Lily said with a sigh.  
  
Catherine laughed. "And you said I was insane. I think those two take the cake," she said and gestured to James and Sirius before falling backwards on the bed and cackling.  
  
Sirius looked at Catherine and then at James. "And we're the insane ones, honestly," he said and stood up tiring of his position crouching on the floor.  
  
James came around one side of the bed trying to get Sirius but he climbed over the bed and James followed. Unlike Sirius who made it over the bed, James tripped and fell on Lily. "Oaf," Lily said when James landed on her.  
  
Catherine sat up, still laughing and said, "Looks like your getting your alone time with Lily, without the alone part that is," and she kept laughing, her eyes closed tightly as she fell backward again.  
  
Lily pushed James off of her, laughing as she said, "Catherine, you might want to start running," and dove across the bed proceeding to tickle Catherine who laughed even louder with squeaks thrown in periodically until Catherine grabbed the pillow near her head and beat Lily with it.  
  
James and Sirius watched as Lily picked up a pillow herself and proceeded to hit Catherine while laughing both girls flushed and their hair and clothes untidy. "Pillow fight," Remus said and made to join as Peter hid in a corner, but Sirius and James threw out an arm each to block him.  
  
"Wait, this is actually rather intriguing," Sirius said and James nodded as the two girls stopped, grinned at each other and climbed off the bed.  
  
"Really Sirius, you find this intriguing eh?" Catherine said and looked at Lily through a fall of her dark hair.  
  
"Yes, quite," Sirius said with a large smirk on his face.  
  
"Well do you want to know what we find intriguing?" Lily asked tightening her grip on the pillow in her hand and walking forward.  
  
"Ah, Padfoot, I think we're in trouble," James said smiling brightly and trying to walk backward.  
  
"I do believe you're right Prongs," Sirius said and Catherine and Lily swung the pillows they were holding at the exact same time hitting James and Sirius as Remus pushed the two forward and shouted, "Pillow fight!!"  
  
The boys, minus Peter, conjured pillows from thin air and the fight began. They swung at each other and laughed loudly with each hit or miss. Remus noticed that Peter was sitting in the corner watching as Lily and James seemed to be trying to decapitate each other and Catherine had somehow gotten Sirius' pillow and was now chasing him around the room. Remus walked over to Peter, conjured another pillow, threw it at Peter and said, "Can't leave Wormtail to sit all by his lonesome," and then hit Peter with his own pillow forcing Peter into the fight.  
  
Lily and James noted Peter's sudden participation, dodged Sirius and Catherine who were fighting over the pillows and made to help Remus. Lily cackled menacingly and started hitting Peter, Remus and James furiously as she was also being hit. Sirius and Catherine paused in their private fight upon seeing the bombardment of Peter and mutually decided without a word to go help. Soon though at least two of the pillows tore open sending feathers every which way and the pillow fight to unceremoniously end as all involved fell to the floor in a fit of giggles. "That was fun," Lily said when she finally got her breath back and she was laying between James and Catherine who were both breathing heavy like everyone else.  
  
"Yes it was," Catherine said and was sorely tempted to hit Sirius just one more time but refrained. "I should go. It's getting late," she said with a yawn; pillow fights are rather tiring.  
  
"You should stop by again sometime," James said very quietly and Lily smiled at him before yawning herself.  
  
"Perhaps I will," Catherine said lightly, "But until that time I will be around. See you Lily," Catherine said the feathers that had landed on her after the community collapse floated to the ground when she disapparated.  
  
Peter proceeded to climb to his feet and bit them goodnight before walking out of the feather strewn room slowly. "That was definitely intriguing," Sirius said with a laugh and rolled over on his side looking at Lily with a smirk.  
  
"I'd say," Lily said and yawned again stretching out her arms above her head and arching her back.  
  
James gazed at her out of the corner of his eye and found himself wishing that Sirius and Remus would disappear because he did indeed want some time alone with Lily. He yawned tiredly and attempted to sit up but was pushed back down when Remus got to his feet. "C'mon Padfoot, we should leave the two love birds alone," Remus said and moved quickly out of James' reach.  
  
"Moony, you're looking for trouble aren't you," Sirius said with a smirk as he too climbed to his feet, following Remus to the door. "Have fun with this mess," he said and they disappeared behind the door with a snap.  
  
James looked from the now closed door to Lily who had turned on her side to look at him. Her cheeks were pink with exertion and her hair had feathers imbedded in it. "We should go to sleep," he said trying with all his might not to think about how gorgeous Lily looked with feathers in her hair.  
  
"Probably. Especially you," Lily said and wondered if James would even fall asleep if they tried to go to sleep at that moment.  
  
"Why me?" James asked quietly and watched Lily lay there looking ravishing.  
  
"Because you probably haven't slept more then two hours in the past two days," Lily said and proceeded to sit up.  
  
James just grunted and sat up himself. He reached over and pulled a feather from her hair, mainly just as an excuse to tough her. "You're beautiful," he said quietly and touched her cheek gently.  
  
Lily just shook her head and said, "You're delusional," before she climbed to her feet. "I'm going to take a shower and go to sleep," she said and walked toward the bathroom slowly.  
  
"I'm not delusional Lily," James said as he also climbed to his feet.  
  
"Goodnight James," Lily said quietly, not facing him.  
  
James walked over to Lily and touched her shoulder. She turned and looked at him. James slowly pulled Lily closer to him and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "You're beautiful to me Lily, don't forget that," he said and kissed her forehead before pulling away. "Goodnight," he said and walked out of her room and down the hall to his own.  
  
Lily sighed as James closed the door behind him. She headed into the bathroom and removed her clothes for her shower and looked into the mirror. Her hair was full of feathers and she pulled them out quickly and jumped into the shower. As she was showering she got to thinking: It was true that she liked James but she didn't was to set herself up to get hurt. She didn't know what the difference between like and love was, she'd never known anyone who she could love in a romantic way. It was true that her dreams were full of people that she loved and who loved her, but she was different, they were different. Everything was different but also the same.  
  
What she wanted was a way to know that James really cared for her considering the fact that he kept calling her beautiful and she didn't believe him. Standing underneath the spray of the shower Lily wondered how he could think her beautiful or gorgeous and she looked down at her body. She wasn't that pretty, she was slightly interesting facially but she only though that because of her eyes, the only part of her body that she actually liked. The rest of her was boring. Lily sighed, her train of thought becoming quite depression and so she quickly finished her shower and toweled herself dry.  
  
Lily dressed in a pair of gray shorts and a green tee shirt and then walked back into her room. It was rather disastrous with all the feathers strewn about and her bed was covered in them, not to mention it was unmade. The scene made Lily's inner neat freak cringe knowing she wouldn't be able to clean it up without passing out because she didn't know the right spell to clean up the room. She decided to see if one of the guys would do it for her.  
  
Lily knew Peter would be worthless to ask and she turned to Remus' room; his door was slightly ajar and some light snores could be heard from inside. Lily sighed and headed to Sirius' room. His door was locked and there was no light on underneath. Lily continued on to James' room and knocked lightly on the door hoping that he was still awake.  
  
James had left Lily's room wondering why Lily felt that he as deluded when he attempted to compliment her. She was the most beautiful creature on the planet to him and he didn't know how she couldn't see it. He sighed and took a ten minute shower, considered sleeping in the buff and then ruled it out. Who knew if Sirius planned to prank him the next morning to wake him up as Sirius could always be expected to be unpredictable in his timing. He threw on a pair of plaid flannel boxers and climbed into bed before shutting off the light.  
  
For once James was utterly exhausted and knew he would be able to sleep that night as he closed his eyes and got comfortable. Just as he was about to drop off a knock revived him from his almost slumber. Too lazy and drowsy to climb out of bed he called, "Come in," and watched as Lily walked slowly into the dark room. "Lily," James said quietly. He hadn't expected her to come knocking on his door that night.  
  
"Hi, could you help me with the feathers in my room?" Lily asked quickly and tried desperately not to notice that James was shirtless.  
  
James groaned. "I'm lazy and I can't think of the spell," James muttered honestly. "I'm currently brain dead," he said and yawned.  
  
Lily looked annoyed, "Then where am I supposed to sleep James?" she asked not really thinking straight herself. Neither of them had slept in over twenty four hours.  
  
"You could sleep here if you want," James said without really thinking about what he'd said.  
  
"I don't think so James, just get out of bed and come help me," Lily said and yawned leaning against the banister at the foot of the bed.  
  
"I'll pass out walking down the hall. Just sleep here, this bed is big enough for about five people to sleep comfortably," James muttered, reached over to the side of the bed he wasn't on and pulled back the covers.  
  
Seeing that James wasn't going to budge and not wanting to wake up Remus, Lily found herself muttering under her breath as she climbed into James' bed. "Try anything funny or even touch me and you're gonna get it," Lily said tiredly and pulled the blankets over her.  
  
"You have my word I won't lay a finger on you," James said with a yawn before closing his eyes and dropping off to sleep within moments.  
  
Lily closed her eyes as well and fell into a peaceful sleep full of quiet normal dreams about quiet normal things.  
  
A/N: Whaha! I hope you liked this chapter. I think it was interesting and shows another side of Catherine so that people who don't like her might begin to. Let me know what you think alright, I need reviews to sustain my writing!! ~Frankie~ 


	39. Not Before My Coffee

Author's Note: Hey guy's sorry for not updating sooner. I was swamped with school work while still trying to have a social life. So here is the next chapter. The next couple I think are going to be mostly filler with some romance like stuff thrown in. I'm moving so slowly and I feel bad and then backtracking. I'm supremely sorry.  
  
*IMPORTANT NOTICE* I am bumping up the rating with this story because there is some mild sexual innuendo and I'm pretty sure that PG doesn't cover that any longer. So, bear with me! PG-13 will now be the rating and I hope that doesn't keep anyone from reading. I'm doing it to keep myself from getting kicked off.  
  
So here are my thanks to all my great reviewers:  
  
Anarane- *smiles* You'll see dear, you'll see.  
  
Ggal- Minor PMS contained within. I'm sorry for the torture, but I don't want this story to be uber romantic considering the circumstances. I thank you for the compliment; I think I was in an angsty mood at this part of the story. I'm very glad that you like Catherine, and I hope you continue to like her.  
  
Celine- Thank you so much. I've been trying to make sure that the descriptions are up to par and that the pictures are appearing its good to know that I'm succeeding. *grins at another Catherine fan*  
  
MegHarts- Glad you liked the pillow fight. I wasn't sure if it would fit, but I wanted something to relieve the tension surrounding things.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- *smiles* I'm glad I keep surprising everyone.  
  
Liz411- *hands candy to the five year old to keep her placated* I'm really glad you liked it.  
  
I o u a name- You've got it right about who the important thing is about. but if you didn't catch it I cannot say any more and more clues shall not be coming for a while as I just wrote Catherine back in. and I'm in a whole different notebook now.  
  
Manny2003- If he can survive Lily's wrath. yes he shall.  
  
Poetbrit- Thanks for your support. I'm trying to keep up with everything.  
  
Cassie- Sorry about the wait. You get to see what happens when they wake up. I'm very pleased that you like Catherine now and I'm even happier that you got over your dislike of her.  
  
JCtigerwolf4e- *smiles* I'm glad you like it and I feel bad that I can't find better words to thank you. Sorry about the wait!  
  
Kristatwen  
  
Lily 101- Sorry about the whole Bella thing. I'm glad to have a new reviewer. It makes me feel all spiffy. You'll see soon enough what happens. Sorry for the delay.  
  
Zebragurl- I'm amused by your Sirius pun. *smiles* The uncertainty is going to get even more uncertain in the future, trust me. I'm not even completely sure how things are going to play out. I'm sorry that Catherine freaks you out and Lily and her feelings will be a mystery for a bit, I believe.  
  
Khel-shay- *smiles* I'm glad for another reviewer, sorry for the wait! ^_^  
  
Laina3- Unique! Yayness, that's exactly what I'm looking for.and if you read anything like it, let me know, I'll have some peoples to attack with rabid printers.  
  
OwLPoStAgAiN- *grins* So do I, which is why it's gone on so long!  
  
Bell- Welcome back! Sorry about the lack of Voldie action. I've been unmotivated in that respect. *sighs* At the current moment I think he's gathering intel and seeing when and where would be the best way to hit Lily and James to cause the most devastation. O_o. I'm actually not even sure what Voldie is doing! Ack! And you should know me by now Bell; do you think there is a catch? Trust your instincts; it will lead you in the right direction.  
  
Casey- Yes, I am, and I sent you an email. sorry for such a long delay. I've been swamped with homework.  
  
Sissy-6- I'm trying to keep it up. *sighs* Thanks for the review!  
  
So here is the chapter. wow that's a lot of reviews! I think I'm going to have to just start writing names and answering questions when possible.  
  
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Not Before My Coffee  
  
The next morning Lily was the first to wake up and found her situation rather interesting. Sometime in the night she and James had become an entangled mess. Their arms were wrapped around each other and their legs, well, they resembled a pretzel. Lily sighed wondering if there was anyway to get out of this lovely complication without waking James. Lily carefully moved one of her legs that were trapped between James' and her thigh brushed across something that caused her to blush so furiously that a can of Coca-Cola would have been jealous. Even more carefully she pulled her leg free and was completely still for a moment as James shifted slightly and held Lily closer nuzzling his face in her hair. Lily sighed and in a painstakingly slow process managed to pull away from James and edge off the bed without waking James. She tiptoed out of the room closing the door silently behind her.  
  
As soon as Lily was in the hallway she was able to breathe more easily and she pushed away from the door and tiptoed down the hallway. She nearly screamed when Sirius' door opened but she managed to strangle it in her throat. "My gawd Sirius! You nearly gave me a heart attack," Lily said clutching her chest and trying to even out her breathing once again.  
  
"What are you doing coming out of James' room at seven in the morning?" Sirius asked with a smirk and raised eyebrow.  
  
"James wouldn't clear my room of the feathers and so, I, well, I slept in his room," Lily said honestly and watched Sirius with wide green eyes.  
  
"And all you did was sleep?" Sirius asked dubiously and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
Lily scowled. "Yes, and if you think otherwise I'll make sure that you never get a chance to do what you believe James and I did last night again," she said, turned on her heel and went to her room, closing the her door behind her with a snap.  
  
Lily looked around her room and wanted to scream but didn't. She just put on a pair of sandals and walked down to the kitchen. It was a mess. Remnants of Dumbledore's breakfast from the day before were still sitting on the table and she proceeded to clean them up by hand, throwing the garbage in the bin and starting to wash the dishes. How dare Sirius even think that she and James had had sex! All males thought on the same wave length; it was disgusting. She continued to clean, wasting away her angry energy and trying to suppress a desired to strange Sirius Black.  
  
Upstairs Sirius was standing in the hall still looking rather shocked. 'Lily sure has a temper,' Sirius though and decided to go talk to James. He opened the door to find that James was still sleeping peacefully and decided to wake him up. Sirius climbed onto the bed where James lay on his back and started bouncing. The motion woke James in moments.  
  
"What the hell Sirius?!" James said and the other man landed cross legged next to James.  
  
"Morning James," Sirius said brightly his hair still damp from a quick shower earlier.  
  
"You prat, why did you wake me up?" James said and buried his face in a pillow to block out the morning light that was streaming into the room through the curtains handing over the window.  
  
"I'm bored and Lily's annoyed with me," Sirius said still grinning though he now resembled the Cheshire Cat he was showing so much of his white teeth.  
  
"And why is Lily annoyed with you Padfoot?" James asked his words slightly garbled as he was speaking into his pillow.  
  
"For the fact that I implied that you and her had tender wild monkey sex," Sirius said and grinned ever wider.  
  
James pulled the pillow of his face and eyed Sirius contemplatively, "You what?" he asked.  
  
"Well she was walking out of your room and she said she spent the night in here because you were too lazy to rid her room of the after effects of our pillow fight Prongs," Sirius said still grinning.  
  
James looked clueless. He couldn't remember anything after he had climbed into bed and then the hazy half sleeping memories came to him. "I told her to stay and passed out soon afterwards," James said with a sigh. "You'd better go apologize before she finds a way to kill you Padfoot," he said mildly amused as he pushed his covers off of him and sat up. "And I'd better go deal with those feathers," he muttered and threw on a gray tee shirt and grabbed his wand and glasses before heading for the door.  
  
"You don't think she'll really kill me do you?" Sirius asked as he got up and followed James out into the hallway.  
  
James seemed to contemplate the point as they approached the door into Lily's room. "I don't know Padfoot. Anything is possible," he said with a smirk and knocked on the door when he got to answer he opened the door to find it empty and that sounds of activity were coming from the kitchen. "Seems as if she's in the kitchen," James said and looked around the room muttering a few spells: one to return the feathers to the emptied pillows and another to replace the pillows on the bed and make it neatly. James then left the room and walked down to the kitchen the long way as Sirius followed rather reluctantly.  
  
They entered the kitchen to find Lily washing and drying dishes the muggle way and muttering to herself under her breath. "Stupid annoying git," was the only thing they managed to catch.  
  
"Is that about me or Sirius?" James asked standing just inside the doorway.  
  
Lily jumped slightly before turning to look at them. "At the moment I'd say just Sirius, but it could change," she said and blew a strand of her hair out of her face.  
  
"I'm sorry about last night. I didn't even think to clean up the mess before I left I was so tired, forgive me?" James asked as he walked further into the kitchen and Sirius followed slowly.  
  
"Yeah, whatever," Lily muttered and turned back to the dishes. "Breakfast will be ready in about an hour if you want to go clean up and wake the others," she said scrubbing at a plate with a hard bristled brush.  
  
James smiled and said, "Okay, I'll leave Sirius here to keep you company," and he disappeared from the room in the blink of an eye before either of the two could protest.  
  
Lily growled in annoyance, determined to ignore Sirius until it became necessary to do otherwise. Sirius sighed and walked a little further into the room. 'It's now or never,' Sirius thought and cleared his throat. "Listen Lily, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean to offend you or anything," he said and wondered if his attempts would just make her angrier.  
  
"Oh, you didn't offend me Sirius, you royally pissed me off," Lily said turning around holding a dull butter knife in her hands.  
  
"I didn't mean to. It's in my nature to crack jokes, especially about James. I thought that maybe you two had, well, started a relationship already but I'm thinking now that I was mistaken," Sirius said quietly.  
  
"I'll let you in on a little secret Sirius. I don't plan on having sex until someone takes me down the aisle and marries me, so you can just forget about James and I having sex. Secondly unless you see me with a cup of coffee or very strong tea, don't get me pissed off," Lily said and turned back around.  
  
"You mean that you're a virgin?" Sirius asked quietly, pure curiosity keeping him from rational thinking.  
  
"Whether I am or not is none of your business and unless you want to know this knife intimately, I would stop with the impertinent questions," Lily said without turning to look and Sirius and finished the dishes quickly before looking through the cupboards and refrigerator for ideas for breakfast.  
  
Sirius, realizing he'd just pissed Lily off even more, whispered, "I really am sorry. I say things before I even think about what's coming out of my mouth. I'll let you get back to breakfast," he said and began to leave.  
  
"Wait," Lily said sternly and turned to look at Sirius again. "I'm grouchy, so don't worry about it. Go on up and help James wake Peter, I know he'll need it," she said and turned back to the fridge to grab a few items basically stating that Sirius was forgiven and that the topic was closed for discussion.  
  
Upstairs James had easily woken Remus and now the both of them were trying unsuccessfully to wake Peter, who was a notoriously heavy sleeper, worse then Remus who could sometimes not be woken for at least ten minutes near the full moon. "He is impossible!" Remus exclaimed and scratched his belly as he yawned desperate for the sleeping boy to wake.  
  
"You are too sometimes," James muttered and prodded Peter again, who didn't even shift a millimeter.  
  
"Not this bad! He's practically dead!" Remus said in an annoyed manner just as Sirius entered the room.  
  
"No luck yet, I see," Sirius said quietly and rubbed his chin as if thinking about some way to wake Peter. His face brightened with an idea and he pulled his wand out of his pocket and conjured a large brass gong out of thin air. It stood near the side of the bed that Peter was laying on and a mallet rested on its frame. "Cover your ears boys," Sirius said as he grabbed the mallet and put away his wand. In the next second Remus and James covered their ears and Sirius beat the gong; a loud echoing clang emanated from the brass and resounded around the room and the rest of the house.  
  
Peter jerked awake, his eyes wide as he muttered, "Where's the war?"  
  
"It's time to wake up Wormtail, Lily's making breakfast," Sirius said brightly and the gong disappeared a moment later with a flick of his wrist.  
  
Peter groaned, climbed out of bed and stumbled toward the bathroom without a word and shut the door behind him. "Well that was mildly interesting. I'm going to go take a shower," Remus said and yawned before turning and leaving the room.  
  
James and Sirius followed Remus out of Peter's room and down the hall toward James. "I'm going to shower as well, why don't you go bother Lily or something," James said as he opened his door.  
  
"Nah, Lily's just barely not annoyed with me any longer. I'll go to a crossword or something," Sirius said and went into his room where he found an owl tapping on the window pane asking for admittance. Sirius opened the window and the owl swooped in, dropped the morning edition of the Daily Prophet on his bed and stood on the back of a chair waiting for payment. Sirius quickly dug five kunts out of his pocket and put them in the little bag tied to the owls' leg and the owl swooped out of the room. Sirius closed the window again, grabbed a pencil and opened the newspaper to the crossword. He lay on his bed doing the crossword until he heard Lily calling them down to eat.  
  
James met a different owl in his room that was also carrying a copy of the Daily Prophet and handed over the correct payment before the owl flew away. James sighed and left the paper on a table after a brief glance showed that no mysterious deaths or disappearances had been reported in the night, it didn't give him a relieved feeling. Voldemort was only quiet when he was planning something big. He sighed again and proceeded to the bathroom for his shower. Turning on the spray and stepping into it James finally had time to actually think. He and Lily had slept in the same bed and he couldn't remember ever having a better night's sleep. James exhaled and rinsed the suds from his hair. The same thought kept coming to his mind. 'I slept with Lily,' and it brought something to his attention. He wanted her, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well, and he had no idea how to attain her.  
  
James' mind which could think of a plot for a prank in about ten seconds flat had no idea how to win Lily's heart. "What?" James said aloud, "Win her heart? That's just preposterous," he said and tired to clear his mind of the thought but only succeeded to a point. James smacked himself a few times and finished his shower a few minutes later.  
  
James toweled himself fry, put on a pair of jeans and a gray tee shirt on and headed down stairs as he was hearing Lily call them down for breakfast. He was the first into the kitchen and he smiled as he watched Lily take a sip of coffee. "Good morning," James said and looked at the table that was set for five.  
  
"Morning James," Lily said and sashayed around him piling some food on his plate. "Sit, eat," Lily said and did the same for everyone's plates quickly just as Sirius wandered into the kitchen.  
  
"Smells absolutely delicious," Sirius said and sat down at his normal seat.  
  
Lily eyed Sirius, who hadn't yet picked up his fork and said, "Eat Sirius, before it gets cold," and Sirius smiled charmingly at her.  
  
Remus came in followed by Peter. "Good morning Lily," Remus and Peter said at the same time.  
  
Lily grinned, "Good morning boys," she said handing Remus a cup of coffee and Peter a glass of pumpkin juice. "Sit down, I'll be there in a second," she said handing James and Sirius cups of coffee as well.  
  
James watched Lily rush around the kitchen putting things away in a green tee shirt and a pair of gray shorts that revealed much of her cream colored legs and he said "Sit down and eat, worry about putting things away later."  
  
Lily looked over her shoulder at James and stuck out her tongue. "Gimme a second," she said as she refilled her coffee cup and walked over to the table to set it down. James grasped her wrist lightly when he saw her start to turn away again and just looked at her. "Fine!" she said with a laugh and sat down.  
  
"This is wonderful Lily," Peter said pointing to the plate with his fork.  
  
"Thank you Peter," Lily said with a smile, placed her napkin on her lap and picked up her fork. That was when she noticed that Peter was the only one who'd started eating before she'd sat down. She smiled and laughed quietly and started to eat. "So what is on everyone's agenda for today?" Lily asked and looked around the table.  
  
"I have to go into the office and hope that Moody doesn't chew me out too badly after I explain about yesterday," James said and took a sip of his coffee.  
  
"I'm glad I'm not you today James," Sirius said with a cheeky grin. "I don't really have any plans today," he said and was contemplating going to see if Arabella was okay.  
  
"I've got nothing to do either," Remus said quietly.  
  
"I have to make arrangements for," Peter started and then paused for a moment to gain his composure, "For the funeral," he finished sadly and received sympathetic looks from everyone at the table.  
  
"What about you Lily?" Sirius asked to change the subject.  
  
"Probably a little house work, so when we're done eating it might be smart to set out your laundry," Lily said with a smile and they nodded accordingly.  
  
Peter finished first and said quietly. "I'll be back sometime this afternoon, I guess," he stood and walked dejectedly from the room.  
  
"I should head into the office now, I'm not sure when I'll be back," James said quietly and stood touching Lily's shoulder briefly before he walked out of the kitchen and upstairs to set out his laundry, gather his things and head to work.  
  
Lily finished eating and started to gather up the plates and such from the meal. "You want company?" Sirius asked while Remus finished eating and Sirius picked up his plate to bring it to Lily.  
  
"Firstly, put the plate back down and secondly the company is welcome but not necessary," Lily said with a smile and Sirius set the plate back down on the table.  
  
"Okay, well I'm going to go and talk to Bella then," Sirius said and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
"I think I'll stick around and keep you company," Remus said quietly.  
  
"That's fine with me," Lily said and walked back to the table to get Sirius and Remus' plates.  
  
"After you deal with the laundry what's your plan?" Remus asked curiously and helped Lily to pile plates and cups together so she wouldn't have to make another trip.  
  
Lily carried the collage of dishes to the sink. "I'm not sure really. I thought I might go clean up everyone's rooms a little bit and read a few of those books James gave me," she said with a sigh as she filled the sink with soapy water.  
  
"Okay, well I suggest the defense books, but that's just my personal tastes," Remus said and walked over by the sink leaning against the countertop.  
  
"You wanted to be a teacher right? Or was that a phase?" Lily asked and started to scrub at one of the plates.  
  
"No, I'd still like to but I don't think it will happen. No one will want me around their children," Remus muttered with a sigh.  
  
Lily paused and looked at Remus. "Grab a towel and start drying," she said and she pushed a clean wet plate at him.  
  
Remus smirked, "Wanting help at last?" he asked as he took the plate from Lily and set it down briefly to roll up the sleeves of his black shirt before he took to drying the plate.  
  
"This is a one time only thing," Lily said with a laugh. "It's for your benefit really," she said and handed him another plate.  
  
"Really? Well I won't breathe a word to James, you know he'll get jealous if he finds that we did the dishes together and how is this for my benefit?" Remus said and laughed aloud again.  
  
"Oh how jealous James would be!" Lily exclaimed sarcastically and handed Remus a cup. "And it's to get you busy, keeps you from thinking depressing thoughts," she said lightly.  
  
"Ah! I knew you had some sort of ulterior motive," Remus said with a grin.  
  
"You're silly," Lily said and laughed at Remus.  
  
"I'm silly? I thought that was Padfoot," Remus said and then threw up his hand, "Oh, wait, he's Sirius," he said and laughed.  
  
"What about me?" Sirius asked as he walked into the kitchen again. Lily and Remus snorted with laughter and Lily wound up bent over she was laughing so hard. Sirius looked at the two of them who were laughing like deranged hyenas. "What?" Sirius asked again which just caused Lily and Remus to laugh more. "Er- right, my laundry is near the door and James and Peter have already gone. I'm off to Bella's," he said and shook his head at the two of them before disappearing from the house.  
  
It took Remus and Lily nearly ten minutes to stop laughing hysterically because they kept looking at each other and laughing uncontrollably again. They finally calmed down enough to finish the dishes and managed not to drop or break any of them.  
  
Remus headed off to the library to read while Lily went around collecting laundry and checking pockets for forgotten items. When she got to her own room she picked up the previous days' jeans and found the letter from Snape in the back pocket. She sighed and set it on her desk to write a reply once she'd finished the laundry which was just over an hour later.  
  
A/N: Hey guys. I need suggestions on things you want to happen. beyond Lily and James getting together because that sadly isn't going to happen for a while. *sighs* Please review!! I need input! I've developed a minor case of writers block!!! ~Frankie~ 


	40. Moody Observations

Authors Note: Hello! I'm so very sorry for being a prat and not updating for a while. I got lots of homework and I was sick so I've got to catch up but I figured I'd at least give you guys something new to munch on before I went away for the weekend. Another important thing, I'm still blocked on this story, but I have at least one notebook full of writing to post, so don't worry, yet. I found out the reason I got blocked. *growls* It's a Draco/Hermione & Harry/Ginny story. I've written quite a bit, but I do not know if I should post it, let me know whatcha think will ya? And on to the reviewers I have to thank:  
  
Sngrl482- Thank you for your suggestions. Don't worry about and S/L stuff, it's entirely one-sided in my story. I'm working through L/J relationship, but you're going to have to be patient. I'm not one for immediate relationships, especially since theirs will eventually end in marriage as I'm trying to stick to canon as much as possible. Thank you for your great suggestions.  
  
Captain Oblivious- Thanks; I think I will try to work that in. it might not be for a while though as you should have read above explanation.  
  
Kristatwen- Thanks for the support!  
  
Celine- Thanks so much! I'm really glad that you liked my humor and I hope you like this chapter, though it's rather more serious.  
  
Poetbrit- Lily is a mostly non violent person *cough* Um. yeah. that's a complete lie, she was just more embarrassed then anything.  
  
I o u a name- There might be hints there but it won't happen, they're just going to be really close friends and in case it isn't mentioned they were very close at Hogwarts, especially after she found out about the werewolf thing.  
  
MarauderFan4ever aka Liz411- Eek, the five year old! Sorry for being a prat. And it's just fine to live on FFN but don't make it your life. I hope you like the chapter.  
  
Ggal- Yes, only one author, but you shall see that I've avoided my angstyness for this post in regards to what you asked about. I'm not sure if people are going to find out about Snape writing to Lily. I haven't decided yet.  
  
JCtigerwolf4e- You'll have to wait and see. I hope you like this chapter though as I tried to make it fairly long.  
  
Laina3- I hate it too, but you don't have to worry for a little while at least.  
  
Shadowed.phoenix- You are surprisingly good at guessing my future actions which haven't even been written yet, so I applaud you. Sorry about the lack of action, some of these things are filler between major events with little things thrown in. Thank you for your amazing review! Your comment about not knowing how I write this well makes me smile so big that you'd probably say I'm glowing! It's the best thing that you can possibly say to inspire me. Oh, and thank you for your support of the delayed Lily/James hook up, that helps a lot as well.  
  
Hart-break- Naughty thoughts? *laughs* Well I don't know what you're referring to. *whistles* I hope you like this chapter.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- *calms the brat down* Heh. Sorry for the delay, I hope you like this one.  
  
Manny2003- Well, thank you for the thought and any suggestions you may have are welcome!  
  
Khel-shaye- Remus is great isn't he? I love him to death. Sorry about the delay, I hope you like this chapter.  
  
Anarane- What do you mean by 'no Hexing'? I'm so confused! Thank you for the review though!  
  
Zebragurl- Lily is still a little perturbed at James but you've got to wait and see what's going to happen. And I don't mind the puns most of the time. *smiles*  
  
Akire135- Sorry for the lack of things happening. I've been having trouble with the whole Voldie end of things; I'm thinking some things through though. I hope you like the long awaited chapter!  
  
AndromedaTonks- I'm continuing as fast as I possibly can! Sorry for the delay and I hope you like this chapter!  
  
Chapter Forty: Moody Observations  
  
James walked into his office finding dozens of messages and a good deal of paperwork to sift through. He sighed and sat down, several interdepartmental memos started to become impatient after having been waiting there for what appeared to be days. The memos had just come into use and James was rather relieved as the mess the owls left has been rather disgusting. James sighed and read through the memos; several were from Moody, mostly asking if James wanted to keep his job. There was a coughing noise and Moody himself stood at the door into James' office.  
  
Alastor Moody has slightly graying hair and face that looked as if it was carved from wood, his magical eye swiveling around in his head before focusing on James. "Potter," Moody growled and walked into the room looking fierce, but his expression betrayed nothing.  
  
"Hey Moody," James said meekly and hoped that Mad Eye wouldn't just kill him.  
  
"Where were you yesterday Potter? In face where have you been all weekend? Your report was due back and if it hadn't been for the fact that you did manage to show up yesterday at all I would have sent the troops out to look for you," Moody said after he'd shut James' door with a snap.  
  
"There was a bit of a development with my caretaker and I completely forgot about the report," James said weakly. Moody was surely going to kill him after all the times he'd told him 'Constant Vigilance!' in the past year and a half.  
  
"Development?" Moody growled his normal eye narrowing dangerously and focusing on James.  
  
"Well it's a really long story sir," James said helplessly.  
  
"Well then you'd better start don't you think Potter?" Moody growled and for the next hour and a half James explained what had happened and Moody scowled, muttered and cursed whenever he was given the chance.  
  
"Let me meet her," Moody said with a scowl, opened the door to James' cramped office and limped out while James hurried to follow. They disapparated and arrived at Godric's Hollow where they were greeted with a surprised scream from Lily.  
  
"Oh my, you scared me," Lily said her hand clutching at her chest and a pile of James' folded laundry had been dropped unceremoniously on the floor when James and Moody's arrival had startled her.  
  
"This her Potter?" Moody said and circled around Lily, his magical eye going haywire.  
  
"Yes, this is Lily Evans, Lily this is-," James started and Lily held up a hand to silence him.  
  
"I know who he is. Alastor Moody, your boss, many people call him Mad-Eye," Lily said shortly, the man might look frightening but she wasn't scared of him.  
  
"Really lass, how is it you know that? Been consulting with Voldemort have you?" Moody glowered through his eye, noted the charm which hung around her neck; Dumbledore didn't often give protection such as he had to this girl.  
  
Lily's eyes widened and she rounded on Moody. "Voldemort is an evil bastard who kept me from going to Hogwarts. I would rather die then associate myself with him," she said angrily and her eyes flashed as she glared at Moody.  
  
James gaped at Lily and turned to look at Moody who was surprisingly smiling, though it looked more like a grimace then anything. "Good lass. I didn't mea to offend you but you see Potter here had me worried, but it's all cleared up now. We'll be heading back to The Ministry," Moody said and patted James' shoulder before he disappeared.  
  
James was still gaping at Lily and then looking to where Moody disappeared he said, "I'd better go." It was muttered with wide eyes and then he too disapparated leaving Lily to pick up the laundry she's dropped on the floor. After Lily set James' things at the foot of his bed, she walked down the hall to her room and closed her door quietly behind her and walked over to her desk; Snapes' letter sat innocently on its surface. She sighed and sat down in the chair to reread the letter. "He wants to owl me," Lily whispered to herself. It intrigued her very much, that Severus Snape wished to exchange letters with her.  
  
Lily sighed again and opened the drawer of the desk that she knew to contain parchment and pulled a few leafs out and took a quill from another drawer and a bottle of ink as well. Dipping the quill into the ink she began to write.  
  
Your request intrigues me enough to ask why you wish to write to me. If a satisfactory answer comes with your next reply I might disregard the plagiarism of William Shakespeare.  
  
L.E.  
  
Lily folded and sealed the short letter and wondered how she was going to send the letter when a noise came from a window behind her. She turned and saw a tawny owl perched on the sill and she allowed it inside. The owl carried no letter and stood patiently waiting for her to tie the letter to her. Lily carefully tied the letter to the owl and said, "Take this to Severus Snape." The owl hooted and flew out the window and Lily watched it fly away into nothingness before she went down to the library to see if Remus was alive.  
  
Sirius apparated to Arabella's house and found her sleeping in her room. "Bella," Sirius whispered as he sat down next to Arabella on her bed and touched her cheek gently. Arabella's eyes fluttered open slowly and focused blurrily on him. "Sirius?" she said and reached up to his face.  
  
Sirius grabbed her hand gently in his and said, "It's me."  
  
Arabella sat up slowly and hugged Sirius tightly. He noticed her bloodshot eyes and tearstained face and felt a pang in his chest as he wondered what she was thinking. "I'm sorry," she whispered and just breathed him in. "Is - is she okay?" Arabella asked quietly.  
  
"Yes, she's fine," Sirius said and declined to mention the pillow fight and other such antics that had taken place after Catherine had been revived.  
  
"I'm sorry," Arabella said again as she pulled away from him. "Is Lily mad at me?" she asked quietly.  
  
Sirius sighed, "I'm not completely sure Bella, but I suspect she's just annoyed with you. I'm sure she'll be fine once you apologize," he said and gently ran his hand through Arabella's hair.  
  
Arabella sighed, "Last night I was tired and frustrated and seeing Mcgeogehegan in my house threw me off any sane way of thinking, especially since she was invited by Lily. How on earth did they meet?" Arabella said and looked at Sirius questioningly.  
  
"Somewhere in Diagon Alley I imagine, but as to why they were in The Leaky Cauldron yesterday is yet to be explained," Sirius said honestly. "But I think it has to do with some story Lily wanted to tell Catherine," he said after a moment and the confrontation outside The Leaky Cauldron came to his mind.  
  
"Story?" Arabella questioned. "The only story that Lily could tell would be how she came to us and why she didn't go to Hogwarts," Arabella said with wide shocked eyes.  
  
"And what's wrong with that?" Sirius asked gently.  
  
"Mcgeogehegan could be a Death Eater or one of His spies," Arabella said quietly.  
  
"I seriously doubt that Catherine is a Death Eater or a spy of Voldemort's," Sirius said quietly.  
  
"And why is that?" Arabella asked firmly looking at Sirius with her cool blue eyes.  
  
"I don't want to start an argument Bella," Sirius said lightly and looked her directly in the eyes.  
  
"Then tell me why you doubt she would be working for the bad guys," Arabella said sternly pulling away from Sirius.  
  
Sirius sighed and stood up walking around the end of the bed toward the window. "I just do. I can't explain it," he said and looked out the window to watch a sparrow fly past.  
  
"Her family is heavily involved with the Dark Arts, Sirius," Arabella said sincerely.  
  
"And so is mine! Look how I turned out! I'm disowned and fighting against all of the things they stood for! Not everyone follows in predetermined footsteps Bella!" Sirius said angrily and turned to face her. He might be a Black by name but not by nature.  
  
"Sirius, you're different, you were in Gryffindor, she was in Slytherin," Arabella said quietly as she watched Sirius.  
  
"Catherine wasn't nearly as bad as the rest of the Slytherins, she just wanted people to think she was," Sirius said and then took a deep breath. "Look, let's not talk about Catherine, we'll only fight about it," he said and looked back out the window.  
  
"Okay. How about you go make some tea while I take a shower and then we'll go over to James' and I'll apologize to Lily for what happened last night," Arabella said gently as she climbed of the bed and walked over to where Sirius was standing.  
  
Sirius sighed and turned around. "Sounds like a good idea," Sirius said and kissed Arabella on the fore head gently. "I'll be downstairs," he said and walked out of the room and down to the kitchen where he started the kettle and worked on a crossword puzzle that was two weeks old.  
  
James arrived back in his office a few moments after Moody had walked back. "Can I ask what all that was about?" James said with a furrowed brow.  
  
"Nothing Potter," Moody said followed by something akin to a laugh.  
  
"You've got something up your sleeve, what is it?" James asked and eyed Moody warily.  
  
"Well are you sure you need to know Potter? You'll figure it out eventually I'm sure," Moody growled and seemed to be about to laugh again.  
  
"How about you tell me why you ceased your interrogation of Lily so quickly?" James said as he'd never known Moody to stop questioning a suspect for anything, including vehement protestations against involvement with anything connected.  
  
"Ah, but it is the same answer for each," Moody said and limped toward the door. "You're in love James, just don't be late to work again," he said and left the room leaving James to stare at the doorway.  
  
Approximately five minutes later James said, "What?" and blinked. "I'm not in love that preposterous," he muttered and attempted to work on the report from his trip to Scotland but he wasn't very successful and wound up looking down at what was supposed to be his report but was instead covered in the letters, L.E. which were traced heavily in placed. He quickly crumpled the parchment up and pushed it into the trash bin. "Damnit Moody," James said under his breath and doubled his efforts to work on the report. He eventually finished and when he looked at the clock it was almost 6 o'clock. He sighed and started to pack up his things to go home.  
  
Lily came upon Remus in the Library, he was reading but he wasn't as alone as she thought he would be. Arabella and Sirius were there. "Hello," Lily said as she walked in.  
  
Arabella jumped, "Oh, Lily you scared me," she said with an awkward laugh.  
  
"It seems like Albus and I have something in common then," Lily said lightly and started perusing the shelved for something to read.  
  
"Lily," Remus said quietly and eyed her curiously.  
  
"I just came down to tell Remus that the laundry is finished. I wasn't expecting Sirius to be back or Bella to be here for that matter," Lily said lightly and walked over to the window to look outside.  
  
Arabella blinked. Lily was being rather rude and she was tempted to leave but decided not to when Sirius leaned over and whispered, "She's just trying to annoy you. I imagine she was hurt that you kicked her out last night," he said and kissed her cheek lightly.  
  
Arabella sighed. "Lily, I'm sorry about last night. I was horrible to you because I was tired and frustrated and I never really expected to see Catherine Mcgeogehegan after I left Hogwarts," she said quietly and brushed some of her dark hair behind her ear.  
  
Lily turned away from the window and looked at Arabella. "What do you expect me to say Bella? That all is forgiven?" Lily questioned and pursed her lips.  
  
Arabella managed to refrain from snapping back at Lily but it was very close. "I don't know, that's up to you, but can you please tell me how you met her?" she said quietly as Sirius slipped his hand gently around hers.  
  
"Outside a show in Diagon Alley," Lily said lightly and sat down in a chair across from Remus and crossed her legs. "And let me guess you want to know how and why I trust her?" she asked and looked up at Arabella slowly.  
  
"Well to put it mildly, yes," Arabella said slowly and sat down as well.  
  
"My dreams, how I recognized all of you and trusted you. She was there too, and we were friends," Lily said quietly and looked at Arabella again.  
  
"So?" Arabella said, she was beginning to get impatient.  
  
"Catherine and I were best friends, we did practically everything together," Lily said quietly.  
  
"What?" Arabella said, she was extremely shocked at this development. "Were you in Slytherin?" she asked doubtfully.  
  
Lily scowled. "Do you honestly think that James would like and pursue a Slytherin? I was a Gryffindor Bella," Lily said lightly.  
  
"But-," Arabella started and Lily interrupted.  
  
"But how did Catherine and I become friends?" Lily asked with raised eyebrows showing was seemed to be amusement but was actually well hidden anger.  
  
"Yes," Arabella said quietly, sensing that Lily was getting annoyed.  
  
"We got detention together during Potions but she already didn't like me because James had knocked me into her as soon as we'd gotten on the train. We wound up finding things in common as we were remaking the potion that we blew up. The rest is just, well, history," Lily said and rubbed her eyes for a moment before looking at them all again.  
  
They were looking at her anxiously. "Are you okay?" Remus asked quietly.  
  
"Just a headache," Lily said and seeing their eyes widen said, "A normal one, not the coma inducing, brain numbing annoyances," and she sighed.  
  
"You sure?" Sirius asked quietly.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. It's probably just dust," Lily said and sneezed. "See," she said and smiled.  
  
"What time is it?" Sirius asked quietly.  
  
"Going on noon, I imagine you're getting hungry right?" Lily said and smirked, Sirius smiled meekly and Arabella smacked him. Lily laughed, "Oh don't worry. I'll be starting lunch soon either way," she said and Arabella glared at Sirius.  
  
"She doesn't need your demands placed upon her," Arabella said angrily. Lily's headache worried her despite her frustrations about Catherine.  
  
"Bella don't worry about it," Lily said calmly. "It's my job to take care of James' guests," she said and smiled at them.  
  
"But-," Arabella started.  
  
"No buts, He's going to have to wait about and hour anyway," Lily said firmly and Sirius looked down. "Oh, the puppy eyes can't fool me Sirius. I know that trick," she said and smirked.  
  
A sudden thought came to Sirius and his eyes widened. They had successfully managed to keep their Animagi transformations from everyone, Bella included, but did Lily know? "Remus, can I talk to you alone for a moment?" Sirius asked and stood up gesturing to the door.  
  
"Sure Padfoot," Remus said and set his book aside. He hadn't read a word of it since they'd gotten into the Library but he liked to pretend. Remus stood and followed Sirius of of the Library and oddly enough outside.  
  
"That was odd," Lily said quietly.  
  
"Indeed," Arabella replied and looked at Lily.  
  
"Well, would you like to help me with Charms? I was reading about the Summoning Charm the other night," Lily said quietly prepared to set aside the whole Catherine incident for something more interesting.  
  
"Why not? It might be fun," Arabella said and they walked up to Lily's room to retrieve her wand. "You should really keep your wand near you at all times, especially these days," Arabella said as they climbed the stairs.  
  
"I'll make a note of that," Lily said and pulled it from the pocket of her cloak that had returned to its green color.  
  
"I thought your cloak was black," Arabella said looking a little confused.  
  
"Apparently it changes color," Lily said and sighed. "Let's get started then," Lily said and they headed back down to the Library.  
  
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always suggestions are welcome as I consider all or at least most before dismissal or acceptance, so let me know what you think! I NEED your feedback to get back into this story. Thanks so much for being great reviewers! ~Frankie~ 


	41. Talk, Jokes and Chitchat

Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry that my updating is sporadic. The only reason I'm doing anything today is that I'm sick and I'm not able to concentrate on my math homework right now. So, I'll let you know that I wrote a little bit for this story today in my notebook that is miles ahead of this chapter, so that's good news for everyone. I don't think I've got anything else important to say, so on to the thank yous:  
  
Captain Oblivious- Peter, fly out a window? No, no, that's not for a while. *smiles* Moody as a pirate eh? Avast mateys! *cackles* Savvy? I'll try to post the DM/HG HP/GW story eventually, but I have to sort out a lot of stuff, I'm not writing it in the same way that I wrote this one.  
  
Bell- You'll get Catherine, eventually I hope, thanks for the review.  
  
Celine- Bella and Cath have, what do you call it? Irreconcilable differences, at least on one side of the story. but you have to figure that out on your own.  
  
Me- Sorry to burst your bubble, but this story is slow going in regards to Lily and James getting together, and I can't change it or I would have to change everything about my story. So, you're going to have to be patient. Thank you.  
  
Sissy-6- Thanks; I'm glad you think so. And I'm working on the writing thing.  
  
Goldensnitch3- Thanks. Twice.  
  
MarauderFan4ever- I'm sorry I haven't had the time to read your story, but keep after me and I might get a chance to do so. Good luck on it and thank you for your comments.  
  
JCtigerwolf4e- *SIGH* I'm sorry that things with James and Lily are slow going, but you have to have patience. I'm working through things that need to happen but I'm trying. They're going to have to be friends before I get them together, and that relationship has to be cemented first.  
  
Sngrl482- She might. You never know. Thank you for the great suggestion though.  
  
AndromedaTonks- Doing my best. Thank you for the review. I don't know, at the time I thought she was a year younger and then I realized my misconception and so I can't really change it because it would affect the story.  
  
Okay, I'm losing any possible interesting thing to say to my reviewers unless they've asked questions or said something other than bland comments. so I'm going to have to resort to just mentioning names. Sorry.  
  
Laina3  
  
A.J.D'Angelo  
  
Anarane  
  
Cricketlover- Almost all of Friday night? Wow, I'm honored. And I'm trying to work in more L/J fluff, but it's going to be lacking for a bit. Sorry. Oy, I just realized I'm almost into the note book that I'm writing in. this could get dicey.  
  
Manny2003- Thanks, I'm trying to get the chapters out as soon as possible.  
  
Shadowed.phoenix- Moody is great isn't he? *cackles* I imagine that Hippogriffs may just grin, but you have to catch them on a day that Malfoy hasn't abused them. You like the R/C idea eh? I'm glad. oh, and remember the potions incident for future reference.  
  
I o u a name  
  
MegHarts- He is. it's cute, isn't it?  
  
Prisoner-of-Shadows- *eyes go very wide at length* Thank you so much for the lengthy review, I'm honored you took time to write this. I'm glad you think my AU is believable, that is what I'm striving for most, as well as getting back to canon. Thank you for all the amazing compliments, they're still making me smile. And, I think the reasons my fluff moments are random are because I've read too many fics where the fluff is too much, that and its only been like 4 days since James and Lily met, that's too soon, in my opinion for them to get together.  
  
Don Raphiel- Thank you.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- You'll see when they have their first real kiss, I promise, and hopefully it won't be something extremely over done. I'm glad you're happy about Bella and Lily.  
  
Me  
  
Totoro  
  
Now, on to the story.  
  
Chapter Forty-One: Talk, Jokes and Chit-chat  
  
Outside Sirius led Remus around the house. "What did you want to talk about?" Remus asked curiously and watched a butterfly flutter past.  
  
"Our Animagi forms, do you think Lily knows since she knew about you?" Sirius asked quickly.  
  
Remus looked thoughtful. "Well, Bella doesn't know about it even though she knows I'm a werewolf," he said and scratched his head contemplating the point. "Lily doesn't seem to know and if you ask her you'll have to explain," he replied.  
  
"True enough. How did you ask Lily?" Sirius said quietly and looked over at Remus.  
  
"Well, she was telling me that it wasn't my fault for her coma and that she needed to accept that she knows things that she shouldn't, like the tomato thing," Remus said and his nose scrunched up when he mentioned 'tomato' before he continued. "I asked if she knew anything else about me and she just sort of remembered," he said quickly.  
  
"Well, that wouldn't work with this situation," Sirius said lightly and plopped down on the grass carelessly.  
  
"No, it wouldn't," Remus agreed and joined Sirius on the ground.  
  
"What should we do?" Sirius asked quietly before he lay back to look at the clouds passing over head.  
  
"Nothing. If she knows she'll say something, if she doesn't, well, it's probably best," Remus said and joined Sirius in his cloud watching.  
  
A moment passed before Sirius said, "I haven't done this since I was little," and he sighed wistfully.  
  
"You did this?" Remus said quietly as if surprised.  
  
"Yeah, in Grimmauld Place, when my family was being decidedly annoying I would lay in the backyard and look up at the clouds imagining I was anywhere else with a different family," Sirius said quietly. "I would watch the clouds and pick things out in the shapes, like dragons and dogs and things," he said and looked over at Remus. "After what happened sixth year and I found out that I wasn't expelled for my outstanding display of stupidity and you weren't talking to me and James was downright pissed, I went out on the grounds and just lay there," Sirius said with sad eyes.  
  
Remus sighed. "I forgave you along time ago Padfoot, why are you bringing this up now?" he asked quietly.  
  
"I still haven't forgiven myself Moony," Sirius said quietly and looked back up at the clouds.  
  
Remus sighed again. "You should," he said and looked at Sirius' handsome profile.  
  
"I know, I probably will eventually, but I still feel horrible," Sirius said sadly.  
  
"Don't. It was ages ago in the scheme of things. The only person who probably still hates you for that is Snape," Remus said honestly. "In fact, he's probably the only person who ever really did," he said quietly after a pause.  
  
"You didn't hate me?" Sirius questioned calmly.  
  
"No, I couldn't. You were one of my best mates. I had to forgive you. I might have been angry or depressed about it but I couldn't hate you, even if I tried," Remus said with a sigh.  
  
"You tried to hate me?" Sirius asked with wide shocked eyes as he looked at Remus.  
  
"For about ten minutes, but it wasn't possible," Remus said slowly. "It's impossible to hate you, your simply too likeable. And besides that, Snape was a slimeball," Remus said and grinned at Sirius.  
  
Sirius laughed. "Yes he was. He couldn't keep his abnormally large nose out of our business, or anyone else's for that matter," he said and snorted.  
  
"What do you think would happen if he ever got a hold of the Map?" Remus asked curiously.  
  
"That would mean he'd have to go back to Hogwarts and get it from Filch," Sirius muttered darkly. "Can you imagine, Snape teaching? That would be a laugh. He'd swoop about like an overgrown bat and take points off everyone but the Slytherins," Sirius said and cackled.  
  
Remus snorted. "For talking, heck, he might even take points off for breathing," Remus said with a laugh.  
  
"What would he teach?" Sirius said thoughtfully as if seriously considering the possibility.  
  
"Hmm, I don't know. I hope not Defense," Remus said and scrunched up his nose at the thought.  
  
"Probably Potions, he could sulk about the dark, dank, dungeons and feel right at home," Sirius said and then burst out, "He'd probably sleep upside down!" and then he cackled and couldn't stop.  
  
"That's appalling," Remus said but he was laughing too. But a loud crash and the sound of breaking glass brought them out of their conversation.  
  
"What in the name of Merlin," Sirius said and they jumped up and ran around the side of the house pulling their wands from their pockets as they went. That's where they saw Peter sprawled in a bush underneath one of the library windows and Lily and Arabella were looking down on them with a mixture of horror and amusement.  
  
Arabella and Lily had moved from Summoning Charms to Banishing Charms in about ten minutes. Lily was learning very fast. She was attempting to banish a cushion from one of the chairs that was lying on the table near the door and she said the spell just as Peter walked in the door. The spell hit him instead and he flew throw the window with a crash. Lily and Arabella rushed over to the window to see if Peter was okay. Sirius and Remus came around the side of the house. "Is he okay?" Lily asked looking horrified with one hand near her mouth.  
  
"Ow," Peter said groaning and trying to climb out of the bush unsuccessfully.  
  
"Oh help him!" Lily said and Sirius and Remus helped Peter to his feet.  
  
"You okay Pete?" Sirius asked trying to stifle any laughter. Peter just groaned again. Sirius sighed and pointed his wand at the shattered window. "Reparo!" he said and the glass flew back into place with out so much as a scratch.  
  
Remus and Sirius helped the limping Peter around the house and were met by Lily and Arabella at the front door. "Bring him to the kitchen," Arabella said and they brought Peter and sat him down in a chair. "Peter, are you hurt?" Arabella asked crouching down near his chair.  
  
"I don't think so but my arm is a little achy," Peter mumbled, his eyes were closed as he held out his right arm where there was a small gash.  
  
Arabella sighed, "Get me a clean towel," she said and Lily rushed out coming back a few moments later with a clean towel that she handed to Arabella. Arabella wrapped the towel around Peter's arm and secured it with a spell. "If it keeps bleeding we might have to take him to a healer," Arabella said and Peter whimpered.  
  
"Peter, I am so sorry," Lily said with wide eyes.  
  
"D-don't w-worry a-about it, I w-walked right into it," Peter said with a weak smile.  
  
"I'm still sorry," Lily said quietly.  
  
"We'll put up a sign," Sirius said and raised his hands as if seeing it before his eyes. "Practicing Witch: Beware of Windows!" he said.  
  
"Sirius!" Arabella said and made to smack him, but be ducked and caught her arm spinning her around.  
  
"Yes Bella?" Sirius questioned as he wrapped his arms around her and Remus, Peter and Lily tried hard not to laugh.  
  
"Never mind," Arabella said and sighed as she tried to move away.  
  
Sensing her movement, Sirius got a devilish gleam in his eye. "Feed me!" he said without warning and spun around with Arabella still close to him. "And nobody gets hurt!" he said and cackled, resembling a madman.  
  
"Let me go!" Arabella said and laughed as Sirius bit her neck. "Ah! He's a vampire!" she shrieked and laughed despite herself.  
  
"Feed me!" Sirius said again and Remus snorted.  
  
"Okay, okay! I'll feed you, just don't eat Bella," Lily said while laughing hysterically.  
  
Sirius then proceeded to spin Bella away from him to Remus and then grab Lily around the waist. He took one of her hands and danced gaily around the kitchen that was now full to bursting with laughter. "What shall we be eating?" he asked as he spun Lily away from him.  
  
Lily was flushed and laughing as she gently pulled her hand from Sirius'. "What would you like to eat?" Lily asked as her laughter slowed and she caught her breath.  
  
"Anything, as long as there is no garlic in it," Sirius said and winked before bursting into laughter.  
  
"Oh stop!" Lily said and giggled. "You all make sure the library isn't permanently damaged and I'll get lunch ready," she said and pushed Sirius out of the kitchen.  
  
"I'm sorry about him," Arabella said and massaged her neck where she'd been bitten briefly.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about it, but I would check a mirror if I were you Bella," Lily said noticing that there was a purplish blemish forming there.  
  
Arabella looked confused and walked out to the entrance hall where a mirror was hanging on the wall. She saw the blemish and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Sirius Black! You gave me a hickey!" she exclaimed and headed to the library where Sirius was sitting in chair smiling innocently.  
  
"Oh Bella, it's nothing but a harmless little love bite," Sirius said with a charming smile.  
  
"I should get you for this Sirius, I really should," Arabella said glaring at Sirius as she walked closer to his chair.  
  
Remus walked into the library and said, "Please keep any shows of affection to the privacy of your own room," and he sat down where he'd been sitting earlier and opened the book he'd been reading.  
  
"I'll get you later Sirius," Arabella said for the courtesy of not blinding Remus.  
  
"Where'd Peter get to?" Sirius asked and watched as Arabella sat down next to him.  
  
"He went to change, his clothes were all messed up from his travels out the window," Remus said lightly as he flipped through paged trying to find his place, again.  
  
"I can't wait to tell James. It's really rather funny," Sirius said and laughed.  
  
"No, you dancing around the kitchen is rather funny. Peter could have been seriously injured," Arabella said sternly.  
  
Sirius sighed. "Yes I know Bella, but he's fine," He said and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
Peter walked into the library a few moments later. He had heard what Sirius sand and it made him angry. "Hey," Peter said as he walked in and scanned their faces. Sirius had a twinkle of humor in his eyes, Arabella was looking grim and Remus looked closed off from all of it; his nose stuck in his book eyes moving back and forth across the page.  
  
"Hey Peter, let me have a look at the towel," Arabella said gently referring to her makeshift bandage. Peter showed his right arm to her and she examined it closely. "Well it's not seeping but let me know if you feel light headed or dizzy," she said and smiled at him.  
  
"Will do," Peter said quietly and sat down wondering if any of them suspected he was betraying them. He concluded that they didn't or he'd already have been shipped off to Azkaban, or dead.  
  
"How long to you think Lily will be?" Sirius asked as his stomach growled demandingly.  
  
"Probably not long but with that pit of a stomach who knows what she's decided to make," Remus replied as he turned the page of his book, something about experimental cures for lycanthropy. Some wizard had been researching for ages after his son had been bitten and he's dedicated his life to trying to find a cure. He wasn't having much luck. Remus sighed and pushed the book away. It depressed him.  
  
Sirius noted Remus' sigh and looked at the cover of the book. He sighed too. "Hey Moony, you want a game of chess?" he asked quietly.  
  
"You'll just cheat Padfoot," Remus said dryly and looked at Sirius with his pale gray eyes.  
  
"Me, cheat? What do you take me for?" Sirius asked with a mock-hurt tone to his voice. "C'mon. It might be entertaining," he said quietly.  
  
"Oh alright," Remus said and stood up to talk over to where the chessboard sat dormant.  
  
Sirius got up and followed Remus leaving Arabella and Peter sitting quietly while the two of them played wizards' chess.  
  
About twenty five minutes and two games later, Lily came into the library. "Lunch is up," she said with a smile and walked back toward the kitchen where she was followed by Sirius who was in a particularly gleeful mood. Lily didn't want to ask why. Sirius sat down at the table and eyed the good sitting there with a gleam in his eye. Remus and Arabella came in next followed by a sad looking Peter; which everyone took to be because of his Gran's death. They sat around the table and started to eat. It was tomato soup and toasted cheese sandwiches.  
  
"The one and only way I'll eat tomatoes," Remus said and smiled at Lily kindly.  
  
"I know Remus," Lily said and smiled back.  
  
There was light conversation through the meal and Peter, who finished first, excused himself quietly and left the kitchen with slumped shoulders. When his footsteps where heard climbing the stairs Lily asked, "Is he okay?"  
  
"No idea," Sirius said worriedly. "It's probably just grief," he said quietly and Arabella nodded.  
  
Remus looked thoughtfully at where Peter had been sitting and wondered if grief was all that was on his mind. Remus shook of the thoughts and refocused his mind on the conversation which had turned to Quidditch with Sirius telling Lily about the game and describing in detail several of the games he'd attended before moving on to those he's participated in at Hogwarts with James as Chaser.  
  
Upstairs Peter sat dejectedly on his bed. He parents were too busy to come home and attend a family members' funeral. It made Peter both resolutely depressed and extremely angry. He was expected to great all of his grandmother's friends and mourners in two days and he wouldn't know half of them and barely knew the other. He wanted to scream and rant and rave but that wasn't something a Pettigrew did, it was unbecoming and disgraceful to the family name; a value that his dear old formidable grandmother had instilled in him for all of his life. Scenes were for those of unsavory parentage or blood to cause.  
  
Peter fell back on his bed and glared menacingly at the ceiling. Sirius was mocking him because of an accident that wasn't his fault and hew was going to tell James and it would become some stupid joke that would be brought up at every moment possible. 'Wormtail, the amazing flying rat, or something idiotic like that,' he thought to himself. It frustrated him to always be at the butt end of every joke and he was sick of it. Living in such close quarters with Sirius and James was going to be the end of him and he knew it. Voldemort would destroy him if he ruined the meticulous plans he had put into motion. "It wouldn't be much longer," Peter whispered hopefully.  
  
A/N: Yeah. so, I'm trying to work on this story, but I've got a lot of homework I need to get done. So this is going to be the last chapter for a bit. I'm truly sorry about that. but I have to concentrate on my homework or I'll fail and then graduate even later then I already am. So please, I beg everyone to be patient with me and the delays. School is always hard on a writer, especially one who messed up and is now paying for it. I will get the next chapter out as soon as possible. But my math homework has priority. Thank you very much for reading and reviewing! ~Frankie~ 


	42. Suspicious Circumstances

Author's Note: Wow, I am so sorry that it has been so long since my last update. The trimester ended yesterday and tomorrow is Thanksgiving so I thought I would give an update today and try to get at least one more chapter out by Sunday night. So I will give my long delayed thanks and you can get to the chapter.  
  
Me- Sorry if it seemed like I forgot this story but trust me I wrote a bunch in my notebook and this story will not end until you see the words "The End" on the last chapter. I promise.  
  
Anarane- Thank you.  
  
MarauderFan4ever- You can always ask me to read something you've written. I will get to it as soon as I can, so do not worry about asking.  
  
Captain Oblivious- I'm very glad I threw you off. I didn't want to say yes in case others were reading and I didn't want to spoil the "surprise". So yay!  
  
Manny2003- Thanks.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- I actually have no idea. I still haven't written it. I'm not sure where I'll write it in, but it will happen when it fits.  
  
LJstagflower4e- Well, non romantic scenes? Er. I'm so far ahead of where I'm typing that I'm not even sure when James comes back from work. O_o  
  
Zebragurl- I'm glad you liked my attempt as Siriusness, er I mean seriousness. or is it humor. "Hello my name is Snape and I'm a caveoholic."  
  
I o u a name- I'm trying to make people feel bad for Peter, while at the same time wanting to stab him repeatedly. maybe I'll have him have a dream of Sirius stabbing him. *smiles broadly*  
  
Mademoiselle Morte- Er. maybe I'm just slow, but I don't get it.  
  
Sissy-6- I'm really trying to get them together but trust me, its going to be at least until after a certain costume ball that I'm throwing in and with the scene I wrote for it I'm not even sure when that will happen. All very confusing. So much to try and stick in my story.  
  
Celine- I wanted Sirius and Remus to have a sort of bonding moment, but it's brotherly, if you're getting any sort of thoughts otherwise. What did I think of OotP? Well, I thought a great many things about it, but I gained appreciation for it after I'd read it a few times. It now takes 2nd place in my standings for favorite; PoA has yet to be beat.  
  
Laina3- Sirius and Remus are both heterosexual in this story. I'm not a slash writer. I refuse to write it and I barely read it. I find out its slash I go find something else. They might have liked each other, or they might not have. either way, they'd be the ONLY ones who would have known. Besides, Sirius has Bella and Remus has. er. right.  
  
MegHarts- I might make that his birthday gift to her, but I'm not sure.  
  
Don Raphiel- Violence will come later, but it might not be in ways you are familiar with, or it might. I'm mainly focusing on the relationships of all the people involved as of yet. Violence will disrupt their lives soon enough.  
  
Goldensnitch3- Thanks for your support!  
  
Luvhp224- You forgot? *gasp* Oh well, I don't pretend to be memorable, but I guess you enjoyed it. Thank you for your review.  
  
Now on to the Chapter!!!  
  
Chapter Forty-Two: Suspicious Circumstances  
  
Downstairs everyone was finishing their meal and Lily was inexplicably worried. "I'll meet you all in the library in a little bit after I finish with the dishes," Lily said as everyone filed out of the kitchen.  
  
"You want some company?" Remus asked quietly.  
  
"No, that's okay, go finish your game with Sirius," Lily said with a smile.  
  
"Alright," Remus said though he was suspicious of her for a moment.  
  
"Yes, let's finish! Bella can cheer me on," Sirius said and threw an arm over Remus' shoulder and the other around Arabella's waist leading them away from the kitchen.  
  
When Sirius, Remus and Arabella were out of sight Lily tiptoed up to her room and out into the hallway upstairs. She waited until she was sure the others were in the library before she knocked quietly on Peter's door. "Peter, may I come in?" Lily asked a moment later and she heard footsteps coming toward the door and the lock click before the door opened slowly and Peter's face appeared.  
  
"What is it?" Peter asked quietly but Lily could see in his eyes that he was rather annoyed.  
  
"Are you busy? I thought we could talk," Lily said quietly with a frail looking smile.  
  
Peter was tempted to lie and say he was busy but he decided against it and opened the door wider so that Lily could step inside. "What did you want to talk about?" Peter asked blandly.  
  
Lily walked inside the room and sighed. "How you're feeling," Lily said and sat on the bed lightly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Peter asked confused.  
  
"Well, just that you seem, ah, what's the word.. troubled, that's it. You seem troubled and I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help," Lily said with a smile.  
  
Two distinct thoughts ran through his head. 'Die' and 'Defeat He-Who-Must- Not-Be-Named,' but neither were appropriate for the situation. "Nothing really," Peter said lightly.  
  
Lily looked a little hurt but she covered it easily. "Are you sure? I'm here if you want to talk about what you're going through," she said quietly and hoped that Peter might open up to her.  
  
Peter fought the desperate urge to laugh hysterically and thought, 'Yeah, I'm supposed to tell you that I'm a spy working for the Dark Lord and expect you to be sympathetic! Right!' Peter sighed and wondered what he was supposed to say in situations like this. Guys never asked questions about what was wrong and expected heartfelt answers.  
  
Lily, sensing Peter's withdrawal said, "I know that it's hard, losing someone you cared for but it helps to talk about it," and she wished Peter would sit down or something.  
  
Peter looked at her scathingly. "What would you know about it?" he snapped angrily. 'You can't possibly understand,' he thought as his eyes narrowed.  
  
Lily's eyes widened and she was shocked to find that she was slightly scared. "I lost my parents when I was fifteen and had to live with my sister," Lily said quietly and she watched Peter's jaw drop dramatically.  
  
"What?" Peter managed to choke out when he regained his senses.  
  
"They died in a car accident," Lily said quietly and her curious fear of Peter dissolved but it wasn't something she would soon forget.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't think that you." Peter trailed off and sat on the bed looking down at the floor.  
  
"You didn't think I would understand," Lily said quietly and Peter nodded slowly. "I know how that feels too, and it helps to talk about it at first so that you don't battle everything up to the point where you forget about everything except the pain," Lily said quietly and Peter's shoulders slumped and he covered his face.  
  
"The funeral is in two days and I don't know how I'm going to cope with all her friend who will show up; most of them I won't even know and my parents won't even be there. They're off somewhere in Asia doing something for the Ministry," Peter said as tears dripped down his face and Lily put a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Everything will be okay Peter. Just trust your friends to help you through this," Lily said quietly and Peter nodded before he jerked his left arm convulsively and sobbed loudly. "Peter?" Lily questioned quietly.  
  
"I'm fine; could you give me some time alone?" Peter asked and Lily had the distinct impression that he was in some kind of pain.  
  
"Sure, I'll be downstairs if you need anything," Lily said gently and stood up quickly crossing the room and closing the door behind her.  
  
Peter flung himself backwards and tried to suppress a scream of pain. A meeting was being called and he couldn't go strict orders from the Dark Lord that while he was staying with James Potter that he would do nothing to jeopardize his position or bring suspicion onto himself. Spontaneous disappearances weren't easily explained to an up and coming Auror who was under the tutelage of Alastor Moody the best Auror the Ministry employed. So Peter was pacing now wondering what exactly was taking place.  
  
In the library Remus couldn't shake the feeling that Lily was up to something and decided to finished his and Sirius' game of check quickly; which meant that four moves later Remus was placing the chess pieces back on the board while Sirius moped. "I'll be right back," Remus said and walked quietly out of the library and down the hall to the kitchen. He was surprised to find that the dishes hadn't even moved since they'd left Lily in the kitchen and heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He absently thought about pulling his wand from his pocket before he recognized Lily's feet descending the stairs.  
  
"Remus?" Lily said trying to suppress any surprise at seeing him standing in the kitchen looking curiously up at her.  
  
"I thought you were doing the dishes?" Remus said casually.  
  
"I thought I would go up and see if Peter was alright," Lily said quietly and immediately began to clear the table.  
  
"And why did you feel the need to not tell anyone?" Remus asked quietly.  
  
"A number of reasons," Lily said as she started to fill the sink with water.  
  
"And what would they be?" Remus asked and leaned against the table.  
  
"The way Peter left when he was finished eating and that he seems to always bear the brunt of the jokes around here," Lily said lightly as she started to scrub a plate clean.  
  
Remus raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was still down about his Gran, and everyone gets joked about, especially if Sirius is in the room," he said simply.  
  
"So you don't notice if the jokes being throw Peter's way are having an adverse effect on him?" Lily asked and looked back at Remus' over her shoulder.  
  
"Not really since we've always been pranksters, it comes as second nature to disregard the jokes, offensive or otherwise, especially the ones Sirius spouts out daily," Remus said and scratched his head suddenly wondering how Peter really did take all the jokes and playful ridicule that were thrown his way.  
  
"Well it seems that he's been taking it all to heart," Lily said quietly, she really had no proof or anything Peter had said as evidence to back up her thoughts; just a hunch and the moment upstairs when she'd been almost afraid of Peter.  
  
"What? Are you serious?" Remus asked as his eyes widened. "If that was true he would probably hate us," Remus said and he suddenly began to wonder about him.  
  
Lily sighed and wondered if she should tell Remus about the conversation she'd had with Peter. She decided against it, at least for the moment. "I'm probably just paranoid about it and that it is really just grief," she said quietly and finished the plates and bowls moving on to the silver wear.  
  
Remus nodded quietly but Lily had given him something to think about. Lily's thoughts could explain Peter's behavior in the past few years and why Peter always seemed to be the odd one out.  
  
There was a noise at the kitchen door as Sirius came in. "What did you die in here or something?" he asked with a bouncy sort of voice.  
  
"No, just talking to Remus. He keeps distracting me," Lily said and smiled at them both as Arabella came into the kitchen with a curious expression on her face.  
  
Sirius laughed. "I see, well hurry up. Bella and I can't entertain ourselves for long," he said and smiled at Arabella cheekily.  
  
"I bet you could if you really wanted to," Lily said and winked over her shoulder and them before laughing hysterically at the way Sirius and Arabella had blushed simultaneously. Even Remus laughed at them.  
  
"That was a good one Lily," Remus said and watched as Sirius scowled at him. "But be advised, he will manage to get you back," he said quietly and coughed.  
  
Lily smiled. "I'm not worried," she said as she finished the dishes and drained the sink.  
  
"You're not?" Sirius asked feigning shock and Arabella laughed.  
  
"Not really," Lily said and dried off her hands before turning to look at them.  
  
Sirius smirked and Arabella wondered what he was planning, if anything. She sighed, "Why don't we go back to the library, its more interesting there and we can get Lily started on learning again," she said quietly.  
  
"Oh joy," Sirius said and skipped gaily out of the kitchen.  
  
"Maybe you should have banished him out of the window instead of Peter," Arabella said with a grin and Lily sighed.  
  
"Let's go," Lily said and walked out of the kitchen with a sad look knowing that if Peter had heard he would have again retreated to his room.  
  
A/N: Hello. Okay, I figure this is the place where I should give updates of my situation. The trimester ended but I don't expect the reprieve to be long. So, after this holiday you might not get another chapter until Christmas. That's my warning to you all; I don't want to get reviews that are just complaining that I don't post, especially after this weekend. I'm not meaning to be rude or anything, but I have to concentrate on school work. Trust me; the writing is better when I'm not worrying about school stuff. So. please Review! You guys are the reason I haven't dropped this story completely until summer! 


	43. A Mysterious Letter & Awkward Situations

Author's Note: Whee, another update, aren't you guys proud? Okay, so I'm just doing this so I won't feel absolutely terrible about most likely leaving you hanging till Christmas after this weekend. I have a guilty conscience, it's a nuisance, really it is. SO yeah. now I thank the reviewers, new and old:  
  
Manny2003- Here ya go, as you requested, ASAP.  
  
LJstagflower4e- James is here. whee.  
  
Calanthea Willow- Someone new! Yay, er, okay thank you for reading. I'm exceedingly pleased that you think its original, and it must be addicting if you're reading as much as you can, so thank you very much.  
  
Me- I'm doing my best to update most of the weekend, so this chapter is pretty long and I can't tell you when L/J are getting together because I haven't written it yet and I'm not even sure how its going to happen.  
  
Thais- Well, I will do my best, but it's a long way off, so please be patient and I'll work on it.  
  
Potter's Grl- I'm doing my best to get things down quickly, but I'm not sure how long it will take. I'm very glad that you liked my Lily Without Hogwarts story, but I'm sorry to say that my other Lily story with the 8 chapters is without ending or real plot and will probably never be finished, so I apologize for that and I will probably wind up removing it. Sorry to disappoint.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- The five year old is back. *cackle* I'll try to get chapters out more often to sate the 5 year old but no promises. I know how kids get when you break em, so I'm not making them.  
  
Chapter Forty-Three: A Mysterious Letter & Awkward Situations  
  
They sat in the library and helped Lily practice and learn for the next few hours. It was going on five in the evening when Sirius plopped himself down on a chair and said, "I'm hungry."  
  
Everyone else groaned loudly. "I swear you are a bottomless pit Sirius," Lily said as she too collapsed into a chair tiredly.  
  
Arabella remained standing. "Are you alright Lily?" she asked wondering if they'd been working her too hard.  
  
"Just tired, I'll be fine," Lily said with a brief smile.  
  
"You sure?" Remus asked leaning against a table with his wand held idly in his hand.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. Does anyone want tea?" Lily asked as she hoisted herself out of the chair. Sirius grinned, Arabella scowled and Remus just shook his head. "It's settled then, I'll be right back," Lily said with a smile and left the library.  
  
As Lily walked out of the library, Arabella turned to look at Sirius. "She's not your slave Sirius!" Arabella exclaimed angrily.  
  
"Bella calm down! I didn't force her to do anything and I had been planning to get up and find something before Lily had gotten up," Sirius said calmly as he hoped she wouldn't keep yelling at him.  
  
Arabella scowled at Sirius and stormed out of the library after Lily. "Lily, you really don't have to do that," Arabella said as she saw Lily was filling a kettle and putting it on the stove.  
  
"No, I don't but I wanted something too," Lily said and was fairly sure that Arabella had just yelled at Sirius. It was almost scary how predictable Arabella could be concerning Sirius.  
  
"You did?" Arabella said quietly. "I thought-"  
  
"I know what you thought Bella, that I was just being the dutiful housekeeper. If I didn't want to do something I wouldn't, so you don't have to worry about me," Lily interrupted her quietly.  
  
Arabella looked at Lily with shock etched on her features. "I didn't mean to offend you," she said quietly.  
  
"You didn't. I just don't want to see you arguing with Sirius because of me," Lily said as she opened a cupboard and pulled a package of cookies from inside and arranged some of them on a plate, putting the rest back in the cupboard.  
  
"We don't fight because of you," Arabella protested. "We fight because Sirius doesn't really think before he says some things," she said quietly.  
  
Lily sighed. "Bella I know that you're worried about me but I will be okay and you don't have to take out your frustrations on Sirius," Lily said gently as she got cups and saucers down from the cupboard.  
  
Arabella sighed and said, "Am I really that obvious?" she looked sheepishly at Lily waiting for her to reply.  
  
"Just a little bit, but I doubt that Sirius knows about it. Men aren't exactly all knowing about women," Lily said and laughed lightly.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'll try not to keep doing that," Arabella said and yawned realizing that she was rather tired from helping Lily.  
  
"It's alright but you might want to tell Sirius that you're sorry," Lily said as she finished arranging the tea and cookies on a tray to carry into the library.  
  
"I will. Let's go see what trouble those two have gotten into," Arabella said with a weak smile.  
  
Lily nodded and carried the tray out to the library where they found Remus and Sirius having another game of chess. "Here's the tea," Lily said brightly as they walked in and she set the tray on the table.  
  
Sirius jumped from his seat and hurried over. "You didn't have to do this," he said courteously.  
  
"I know, and don't worry about it," Lily said and poured herself some tea grabbed a few cookies and sat down at the table that Remus and Sirius were playing at to watch them. She found watching them play to be relaxing and so she settled in sipping her tea and munching on a cookie slowly.  
  
Arabella sat across from Lily and looked contemplatively at the chessboard noting that Sirius was concentrating on the game and wondering what Remus' next move would be. Arabella had a feeling that Remus was letting Sirius win. Lily noted that Remus wasn't being very competitive and set her cup and saucer aside. She barely noticed that she'd fallen asleep.  
  
James arrived in the entry hall at approximately 6:10 and wondered where everyone was. Sighing, James walked upstairs and into his room. The clothes that Lily had dropped when he and Moody has surprised her were neatly folded at the foot of the bed. Taking note of this clothes he set his briefcase on his desk and took care to put away the clothes. James sighed and could almost smell Lily's lilac perfume in the air. Looking over his shoulder told him that Lily wasn't in the room and hadn't been for quite some time. He sighed again and Moody's words from that morning were ringing in his ears. He wondered what Lily would say if she told her about what Moody had said. "Probably laugh and dismiss it," James muttered quietly to the empty room. He sighed again and unloaded his briefcase at his desk. He was too tired to do much else.  
  
James glanced out the window and saw an owl swoop down towards the library window just below him. "Must be where everyone is," he said aloud and stripped his robes off revealing the jeans and gray t-shirt beneath before going downstairs to see who'd gotten the owl.  
  
Down in the library Remus was the first to notice the owl, even before it had tapped the window with its beak. He stood up and crossed to the window to allow the owl to deliver its letter. It flew across the room gracefully, dropped its letter in Lily's lap and swooped back out the window. Sirius, Remus and Arabella looked almost shocked at the fact that the letter was for Lily who they now realized was asleep has she hadn't moved to take the letter and read it.  
  
"Should we wake her?" Sirius asked cautiously almost worried that James had sent something saying he had to say long at the office.  
  
"I'm not sure," Remus said, he shared Sirius' thoughts and was very tempted to read it.  
  
"Who got the owl?" James asked walking slowly into the room. Arabella jumped slightly.  
  
"I think I have to get little bells for everyone," Arabella whispered and they chuckled.  
  
"Lily," Remus said slowly and wondered what James would do.  
  
James appeared just as shocked as any of them before he crossed the room and gently touched Lily's shoulder. "Lily, sweetheart, wake up," James said softly and Lily began to stir.  
  
"James," Lily said when her eyes opened and felt the weight of the letter sitting in her lap.  
  
"That's me, you must have fallen asleep. You've gotten an owl," James said quietly.  
  
"I see," Lily said picking up the parchment. She knew who it was without having to open it. Snape's response was enclosed within the unlabeled envelope.  
  
"Who is it from?" Sirius asked though he thought it might be from Catherine.  
  
"No idea. I'll open it later," Lily said with a smile looking at Sirius when she answered.  
  
"Aren't you curious who it's from?" Arabella asked what everyone was thinking.  
  
"Probably Catherine," Lily said quietly. "I'm going to go take it upstairs and then start dinner," she said and yawned before standing up. She could feel James' gaze upon her and she was fairly sure that he knew she wasn't telling the truth. She walked across the room and headed toward the stairs but she heard footsteps behind her and knew they belonged to James.  
  
"Lily," James said quietly and she paused at the foot of the stairs.  
  
"Yes James," Lily said quietly as she turned to look at him.  
  
"Who is that letter really from?" James asked wondering why Lily had lied.  
  
"Why do you want to know?" Lily replied quietly. "Besides, I'm not entirely sure myself," she said slowly.  
  
"May I see it when you're done reading it?" he asked quietly.  
  
"That entirely depends upon what it says," Lily said as she didn't want to say no to make him suspicious enough to go rooting through her things.  
  
"Alright," James said slowly and smiled a little at her before returning to the library.  
  
Lily headed upstairs quickly and down the hall to her room. She opened the door and closed it behind her before opening the envelope. The parchment inside read:  
  
I wasn't expecting you to reply, but I will do my best to answer to your satisfaction.  
  
To be entirely honest I do not know why I would like to correspond with you other then the fact that you intrigue me. I also feel that letters from you might help me, not that I'm seeking any sort of help.  
  
About Shakespeare, I apologize. I, myself couldn't write words appropriate to describe what I wished to say and so I turned to someone else with more eloquent vocabulary.  
  
I hope that this was a satisfactory answer for you and as you know who I am, signing this would be redundant.  
  
Lily of course knew who the letter was from and almost wondered why she felt guilty about receiving it. "Stop being silly. It's just a letter," Lily said aloud and walked over to her desk and placed the letter in a drawer so she could reply later. Lily's thoughts were conflicting about the letter. 'It's not like James has done anything to pursue me, he's kissed me and helped me but that's it. And it's not like Snape is asking me to dinner so I have no reason to feel guilty,' one thought came to her as she descended the stairs to the kitchen. 'But Snape is one of James' enemies from Hogwarts, he won't like it that you're exchanging letters with him,' another little voice said as Lily began to put together a meal to satisfy everyone.  
  
In the Library James was extremely curious about who was writing to Lily. "Who do you think it was from?" James asked as he stared at the chessboard where Sirius' queen had just been demolished by one of Remus' pawns.  
  
"She said it was from Catherine, so who else would it be from?" Arabella asked wondering why James was worried about a letter.  
  
"I don't know, I just have this feeling," James said and sighed.  
  
"What kind of feeling?" Sirius asked curiously as Remus seemed to be contemplating his next move.  
  
"I'm not sure," James said and looked over at Sirius.  
  
"Well my advice would be to let her be," Remus said as he made his move, turning control of the board to Sirius.  
  
"What?" James asked as if that was the exact opposite of what he was planning to do.  
  
"You just got back into her good graces. Do you really want to start another argument with her?" Remus asked quietly and watched James for comprehension.  
  
James sighed; Remus was right, he didn't need to be snooping in Lily's business if she wanted him to know she would tell him. "You're right, I'll leave her alone and try to quell my curiosity," he said and sighed again.  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Remus said and looked up at Sirius who was about to make his move.  
  
James looked around the room slowly and noticed that Lily wasn't the only one missing. "Where's Peter?" he asked inquisitively.  
  
"Up in his room, I think," Arabella said quietly.  
  
James raised an eyebrow. "Something happened while I was at work?" he asked as Peter usually stuck with the group, even if he was quiet about it.  
  
Sirius seemed to remember something, his head shot up and he said, "Yeah, Lily banished him out the window," and then returned to his game.  
  
"What?" James asked sounding shocked and almost wondered what Peter had done to piss off Lily.  
  
"It was an accident!" Arabella exclaimed loudly.  
  
"What was an accident?" Peter asked walking into the room.  
  
"Oh, I dropped a plate earlier, Sirius was giving me crap about it," Arabella said in a sugary voice that must have convinced Peter because he nodded and sat down.  
  
"How was work?" Peter asked quietly of James.  
  
"Boring in some points, vaguely interesting in others," James said and by the interesting parts he meant what Moody had said to him.  
  
Peter nodded and looked at the others, "What did you guys do after I went upstairs?" he asked.  
  
"Taught Lily a few new spells and played some chess. What did you do for most of the day?" Sirius said and looked over at Peter who wasn't looking all that great.  
  
"Slept mainly, I wasn't exactly feeling the best," Peter said quietly.  
  
"Peter, let me take a look at your arm," Arabella said quietly and Peter nodded pulling up the right sleeve of his shirt to reveal a white towel that was secured on his arm. "This might sting a little," Arabella said as she pulled out her wand to mutter a charm to loosen the makeshift bandage.  
  
Peter winced and looked at James who was smiling encouragingly at him. Peter couldn't decide if this made him feel worse or better; why couldn't she have asked to speak with him away from the others? Lily would have. Peter tired not to look down at his arm, the sight of blood typically made him queasy, especially his own. He watched as James cleaned and then transfigured the bloody towel into a roll of bandage that he handed to Arabella to wrap around the wound.  
  
A few moments later Arabella smiled at Peter and said, "All done."  
  
"Thank you," Peter said quietly and pulled his sleeve back down.  
  
"You're welcome Peter," Arabella said kindly.  
  
"Where's Lily?" Peter asked quietly.  
  
"In the kitchen making dinner," James said and tried to stifle a yawn but didn't succeed. "Oy, I'm going to take the dishes into the kitchen and see how dinner's coming," James said and gathered up the cups and saucers from tea quickly before taking them down to the kitchen on the tray. He stalled at the kitchen doorway, his breath caught in his chest as Lily came into view. She was standing barefoot in the shorts and t-shirt she'd slept in facing away from him concentrating on whatever masterpiece it was that she was cooking. Her hair was tied loosely away from her face falling in a radiant bundle down her back and stopping just below her shoulder blades. She was shifting her weight from side to side and humming quietly to herself. James found himself looking her up and down; slowly up her legs which were a little pale but beautiful none the less and graceful as well.  
  
James swallowed unconsciously as he tried to keep from imagining her stark naked standing there and he closed his eyes and exhaled louder then he intended for Lily turned to look at him.  
  
"James," Lily said quietly as she turned to look at him and he opened his eyes and she saw the look there and what it told her made her want to laugh. He desired her, that much was obvious but it was physically as far as she could tell, and that didn't inspire her much.  
  
"I - I came to bring you these and see how long till it's ready," James said quietly and stepped further into the kitchen.  
  
"I see, well it will be ready in about twenty minutes. You can put those over there," Lily said and pointed to the countertop that was out of her way.  
  
James walked the tray over and set it down trying to retain his dignity. He'd seen the humor twinkling in Lily's vibrant eyes and found himself embarrassed as well a curious. There had been something there the he couldn't identify, something that told him she was impatient with him about something. It was rather frustrating to him. "Do you need any help?" he asked quietly though he expected her to say now and he was right.  
  
"That's okay. I can handle it James," Lily said gently and smiled at him before turning back to the story and stirring something the smelled absolutely sinful.  
  
"That smells wonderful. What is it?" James asked inquiringly.  
  
"Beef stew which is why it's taking a bit longer," Lily said quietly.  
  
"I can't wait. You're fantastic cook," James complemented her.  
  
"Thank you," Lily said and her cheeks went a little pink.  
  
"You're welcome," James said and leaned against the counter looking at her profile. "You're also beautiful," he whispered and reached out to tough a bit of her hair that had slipped from it's binding.  
  
"James," Lily said tiredly and pushed his hand away.  
  
"What's wrong?" James asked worriedly.  
  
"Nothing," Lily said and rolled her eyes while staring straight ahead.  
  
"Why can't I touch you?" James asked cautiously as he tried to stay in her good graces as Remus had suggested.  
  
Lily closed her eyes and wondered how he came up with that question. "James, it gets confusing when you do things like that," Lily said quietly.  
  
"What do you mean confusing?" James asked and was confused as well.  
  
"You asked me to give you time James, and I'm doing my best but it gets difficult when you touch me," Lily replied and realized her breathing was irregular and she tried to even it out.  
  
"What gets difficult?" James asked.  
  
"Remembering that I'm your housekeeper not your girlfriend, or even your wife," Lily said lightly and almost James would run from the room at the word 'wife'.  
  
James stood transfixed at her words before wrapping his stalled brain around them and deciphering them. It suddenly became clear what Lily thought he was doing and tried to figure out if he should be appalled or amused. "You think that I'm trying to get come from the help, is that it?" he asked coldly as his voice took on an indifferent tone.  
  
Lily winced, it sounded so lewd and obscene when put in those words but it was basically how it felt to her. "If you put it in layman's terms, yes," she said and swallowed though there wasn't much to swallow as her mouth was so dry.  
  
"Damnit Lily, I care about you and I'm not looking to have sex with you even if it has crossed my mind," James said and turned on his heal walking out of the kitchen.  
  
Less then a minute later his door could be heard slamming and his angry footsteps on the ceiling of the library told Sirius that his best friend needed some help.  
  
A/N: So, yeah, I hope that you liked this chapter. I'm sorry for the way things went between James and Lily here but I had to do it. You'll understand soon I promise, so don't worry too much. Sorry for the cliffhanger. Please Review! Your wonderful words of encouragement and such are the reason that I keep writing. 


	44. Consolation

Author's Note: Hello my lovelies! I'm very chipper this evening, er, early morning as it is Midnight where I am. I'm sorry for leaving you all hanging here, considering the last chapter ended very cliffy-like. So, I shall try to update a few more times as my Winter Break progresses, but bear in mind I was sick the last week of school and only went on Friday to get my homework before I came home again. It sucks to be sick. *sighs* So, I shall now thank all who have reviewed, including my darling Catherine, who just so happens to be who I've taken Catherine from. It's an intriguing process, trust me.  
  
All knowing Catherine- Nice name darling. *cackles* And leave my sexeh hair alone, it does not desire your molestations. But I do concur with your question, were we ever innocent? A regular Fred & George we are. And by the way I've written more, if you check up on these things. which I doubt.  
  
Sngrl482- They haven't reached that point yet hun, and probably won't for a while yet as of what just happened where I'm at will have set Lily into an emotional tailspin, but you shall have to wait to see that. its at least one hundred written pages ahead of here.  
  
ZombieGurl98- Thank you very much, I'm extremely pleased that you love my story and that you think it is original. I do my best to update with all possible haste when I have the time.  
  
Don Raphiel- Why are you so bloody obsessed with violence? I'm sorry to burst your bubble but this here is the getting together part of the fic. violence doesn't come till later so you will have to holdeth your horses. no offense meant of course.  
  
Lmnop- I've got you hooked eh? That's nice to know, I love getting knew reviewers, it's especially pleasing when they decide to drop a review by my email box.  
  
Chocolatez- I'm pleased you think it's a believable AU that I've written. Every so often I need that reminder, so thank you.  
  
Banny- I present you with an early Christmas gift hun, and I might make it similar to Hanukah, but I can't be sure yet because I still have to read the rest of that blasted book. Lord Byron hurts thy brain when one is sick.  
  
Chapter Forty-Four: Consolation  
  
"You know I think they fight almost as much as we do and they're not even together," Sirius said as he stood up.  
  
"You take James, I'll talk to Lily," Arabella said as they made their way to the door of the library and Bella headed for the kitchen, Sirius up the stairs.  
  
Sirius knocked once sharply before he walked into James' room where the man was pacing angrily across his room muttering to himself. "Okay James, what happened now?" Sirius asked calmly as he tried to get James to calm down.  
  
"That - that woman thinks I just want to have sex with her and ditch her because she's the housekeeper!" James exclaimed as he pointed toward the door.  
  
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Do you?" Sirius asked quietly.  
  
"You know me better then that Sirius!" James said and wondered if everyone was losing their minds.  
  
"I do, but do you want to have sex with her? Not just because she's the housekeeper," Sirius clarified.  
  
"No! Maybe - Hell I don't know!" James said and grabbed his hair in frustration.  
  
"Calm down James, take a seat," Sirius said and plopped himself down on the couch. James sat. "Tell me what happened," Sirius said calmly.  
  
"I brought the dishes into the kitchen and started talking to her about what she was making, how it smelled great. She thanked me and I said she was welcome and that she was beautiful before I tried to touch her hair and she stopped me. I asked her why I couldn't touch her and she said it confused her," James said and paused looking at Sirius. "What?" he asked seeing the odd look on his face.  
  
"I'll tell you when you finish," Sirius said and motioned for James to continue.  
  
"I asked her why she was confused and she said that it was difficult to remember that she was just the housekeeper not my girlfriend or," James paused and tried to get the rest out. "Or my wife. I asked her if - if she thought I was trying to 'get some' from the help and she said yes. I said something like I wasn't looking to have sex with her even if I'd thought about it, Hell who wouldn't - don't answer that," James said and looked over at Sirius.  
  
Sirius tried not to laugh, he really did, but he failed. "Sorry," he said before clearing his throat and becoming serious. "From what I've heard, I think that Lily thinks that you like her only because she's pretty, or you think she's pretty. She likes you, a lot, but she doesn't want to get hurt. She also respects you and your request for time to think or whatever. She's also probably scared," Sirius said quiet seriously as he watched James.  
  
"But I don't just like her because she's pretty. She's thoughtful and kind, intelligent and witty. She's everything a guy could ask for. Why would she be scared of getting hurt?" James asked quietly and looked at Sirius with worried eyes.  
  
"Probably many reasons. She doesn't what to just be 'the housekeeper' and wonders if you're ever going to ask her out, which I wonder too by the way," Sirius said with a smirk that James just rolled his eyes at and Sirius continued. "She obviously treasures her body as she's a virgin, either waiting for the right guy or to get married, who knows, you'll have to ask her. She also knows things about you that might be different from who you really are now, via those dreams of hers. A lot of things factor in with Lily. She's complex as most intelligent women are, and you'll probably spend most of your life wondering about those complexities," Sirius said lengthily pausing now and again to take a breath.  
  
James sighed. "There's something else bothering me," he said quietly.  
  
"What's that?" Sirius asked and waited for James to speak, which took a little bit.  
  
"Moody said something today after he met Lily," James said in a voice just barely above a whisper.  
  
"When was this?" Sirius asked curiously.  
  
"This morning," James said quietly.  
  
"What did he say?" Sirius asked with his brow furrowed wondering what Moody could have said that would make James reluctant to talk about it.  
  
"That I'm in - in love w-with her," James barely whispered and he looked up at Sirius hopefully, thought what exactly he was hoping for he didn't know.  
  
"Now that's a tough one to judge," Sirius said and he tried to determine the truth by just watching James, but he couldn't be sure. "Love is a tricky thing," he said as he was lacking anything better to say.  
  
"How did you know you love Bella?" James asked curiously, as if what he was looking for would be in Sirius' answer.  
  
Sirius sighed, "Well I found myself thinking about her all the time, dreaming about her, writing out her name, her initials, craving time with her mostly just to talk to her, to see her. I found her the most enchanting creature I ever laid eyes on and I wanted her to be mine," Sirius said and wondered why he could spill all that to James but never say a word of it to Arabella's face.  
  
James sighed, "How did you realize it?" he asked.  
  
"I'm not exactly sure. It just sort of came to me in time," Sirius said quietly.  
  
"What should I do?" James asked quietly and looked down at his hands.  
  
"Well, I'd start with an apology maybe some flowers and if she accepts them try asking her on a date," Sirius said gently and pat James on the shoulder. "You'll get through it, don't worry," he said.  
  
"I'll try," James aid and sighed wistfully as he pondered what he could do to yet again get back into Lily's good graces.  
  
Downstairs Arabella walked into the kitchen where Lily was occupying herself with the task of finishing dinner. It almost seemed to work except for the fact that her shoulders were slumped. "Hey Lily, are you okay?" Arabella asked quietly and watched as Lily's shoulders came up to even, her back straightened automatically and she turned around to look at Arabella.  
  
"I'm fine Bella," Lily said and put on a smile that was clearly fake.  
  
"Liar. Tell me what happened?" Arabella asked quietly.  
  
Lily sighed. "I feel like the only reason he is attracted to me is because he thinks I'm pretty," Lily muttered and then said, "And because I'm the housekeeper he thinks that." she trailed off. She couldn't even say it because she knew it wasn't really true.  
  
"Well you can't even say that last part but I get the impression that it's not because it's inappropriate but because it's something James would never do and you know it," Arabella said quietly and watched as Lily nodded. "But the first bit you do believe, explain it to me," Arabella said slowly not really knowing what Lily meant.  
  
Lily sighed and tried to concentrate on both Arabella and cooking, it was a chore. "That's relatively simple; he says that I'm pretty and complements me but I don't believe him nor do I know if he likes me because he thinks I'm pretty or because of my personally," Lily said as she added some spices to the stew.  
  
Arabella wasn't the best at relationships and the advice to go along with them but she tried. "Ask him what he thinks of you, talk to him about what you're feeling," she said and hoped Lily would listen.  
  
Lily nodded. "I'll do my best," Lily said as honestly as she could though she wished that Catherine was the one doing the counseling as Catherine always knew what to say and how to take her mind off what was going on. "Could you go tell everything that dinner will be ready in about five minutes?" Lily asked as she went to the cupboard and started pulling down bowls.  
  
"Only if you're going to be okay," Arabella said quietly.  
  
"I'll be fine Bella, don't worry," Lily said and was sorely tempted just to leave dinner on the table and go for a walk to clear her head.  
  
"All right," Arabella said quietly and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
About ten minutes later everyone was seated around the table eating and holding a quiet conversation which Lily and James didn't really participate in. James had walked into the kitchen and it only took one look at Lily to know that whatever Arabella had said hadn't helped much, if at all. At the end of the meal everyone went their own separate ways. Sirius decided to stay at Arabella's that night and promised to be back in the morning to work with Lily. Peter went to his room complaining of a headache. Remus went to the library to read for a while and James didn't know where else to go so he joined Remus. All of this left Lily alone in the kitchen to put away leftovers and do the dishes.  
  
"Remus I keep screwing up with Lily," James muttered before Remus could pick up his book and begin reading.  
  
Remus sighed. "What's going on?" he asked compassionately as he settled in to hear what James had to say.  
  
"Is it possible to give someone too many compliments?' James asked quietly.  
  
"Why type of compliments?" Remus asked gently.  
  
"I keep telling Lily that I think she's beautiful, that she's gorgeous and stuff, but I get this feeling like she doesn't believe me. Or that she thinks I'm just trying to get something from her because I do compliment her so much," James sighed. "I don't even know if I'm making any sense at all. It's driving me bonkers, damn Moody," he said as an after thought.  
  
"It's possible to have someone get sick of hearing the same words in the same way and it would probably cause them to not believe it. Especially if they'd been told the opposite for a great deal of time," Remus said gently. "If you were to think of something new and different to say she might be more receptive James," he said what had come to his mind. He'd never been in a serious relationship so most of what he could say was speculation, whether it was true or not he could only try to give James the best advice that he knew how to give.  
  
James seemed to ponder this for a few moments before he smiled. "Thanks Moony, that helped," he said and sighed. "Now all I have to do is think of something suitable," he sighed and knew this wouldn't be a one day thing. It would take time and effort to convince Lily of his genuine feelings, as soon as he figured them out.  
  
"You'll also probably want to get to know her, be her friend first," Remus said quietly. "Talk to her, let her know what you're thinking. Just try to refrain from saying she's beautiful all the time," he said and then waited for James to say something but all he did was nod. James was thinking about what he could do and continued to do so until he couldn't think anymore and the only thoughts coming to his mind were to apologize to Lily. So James went to find her, hoping that she would talk to him, or at least listen to what he had to say.  
  
Lily finished the dishes and went upstairs to her room, and her eyes were drawn to her desk where the letter from Snape sat in a drawer. She sighed and walked over to her desk and pulled a few pieces of parchment from the drawer along with the letter. On one of the leaves she wrote:  
  
-James & Remus,  
  
I've gone outside for a while. I need some fresh air and sometime to think. I'll be back in a while.  
  
Lily  
  
She set the note on the desk and walked down the front stairs carrying quill, ink, parchment and her wand. She closed the door quietly and stepped out into the balmy night air. There were crickets chirping slowly as Lily made her way around to the back of the house and started toward the tree she could see from her bedroom window that sat on the shore of a small lake or a large pond, whichever way you wanted to describe it, and she sat down beneath its shifting branches. "Lumos," Lily muttered and her want tip lit giving everything in the vicinity a radiant glow. She pulled Snape's letter out and reread it before giving her response.  
  
Your answer was good enough for me, honestly I probably would have kept writing to you even if it wasn't. I hope you don't mind if I be frank with you because I need someone to help me as well. I need someone to be unbiased about giving me advice, but you don't have to. I just sort of need to vent. I hope that you don't mind.  
  
I'm feeling extremely lost and very confused. James keeps complimenting me and I cannot understand it. He says that I'm pretty which I don't believe because of how I was raised; by my sister and her rotten husband. They treated me like a slave and made me do everything, except on the very rare occasion of Petunia wanting to cook. Other then that I had very little free will or personal space and to top all that off she insulted me every chance she got. She said the exact opposite of what James says and I guess that I got used to it, but I don't know how to accept compliments because I haven't gotten them since my parents died.  
  
I miss my parents too, but I don't need to get into that. Would you tell me a little about yourself? Pen pals should know something of the other person otherwise the letters stop and boredom sets in.  
  
-Me  
  
Lily reread the letter and was tempted to burn it because of the personal details that it contained but she sighed and said aloud, "Screw it, I might as well just send it." She folded and sealed the letter vaguely wondering if James would let her use his owl to send it. She closed her eyes and put the letter in her pocket for safe keeping as she took a deep breath of the summer breeze that blew her hair into her face.  
  
"It's a wonderful night isn't it," Remus' voice said from a little ways behind her fairly close to the tree.  
  
"I'm guessing you didn't see the note," Lily said quietly as she shifted to look at Remus.  
  
"No, sorry. Did you want to be alone?" Remus asked apologetically.  
  
"That's what the note said, but it was really more for James. You can sit down if you want," Lily said though Remus could tell she really did want some alone time.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about it. I just came out to see what you were doing. I'll be going back inside in a moment," Remus said kindly as he took a deep breath. "It's really a gorgeous night but be careful out here alone. If you have any trouble send up some red sparks and I'll be out in a flash," he said before he sighed and headed back to the house where he would be questioned by James for information.  
  
Lily sighed in relief when Remus went back inside and she was alone again. It felt to good to just feel the wind gliding smoothly over her skin the smells of wild growing things filling her senses and making her feel very content no matter her previous mood. She was very much a wind type of person. She silently wished that she could fly. She sighed wistfully as she took out another piece of parchment to write a letter to Catherine.  
  
Dear Catherine,  
  
I'm sitting outside thinking about James and I've decided that I need your help with something. It's a test for James. He habitually calls me beautiful and I need to know if he likes me because of my physical appearance or my personality. It's very important but I don't know how to get it done. If you have any ideas please let me know.  
  
Oh, and come back over when you get the chance. I'm still irked at Bella for what happened and I need a girl to talk to. I'm fairly sure that James won't mind and right now I really do not feel like asking his 'permission'. I hope to see you soon.  
  
Love,  
  
Lily  
  
Lily folded up this letter and sealed it as well. This one would be even worse for James to get a hold of compared to the letter to Snape. She sat for a few minutes longer just breathing in the air and trying to regain her sense of self. So much was changing; it was giving her an odd feeling of foreboding. With a sigh she gathered her things, whispered, "Nox," and headed back inside to see how Remus was fairing with the inevitable interrogation by James wondering why she was outside.  
  
A/N: So, how did you folks like that chapter? Let me know in a review and I'll get out the next one as soon as I can. I haven't even started typing it up and I'm not sure where it has to stop before I finish Don Juan by Lord Byron. Do you know how much blasted trouble I went to just to find the right book? *sighs* Too damn much that's what. But it's the right book and things are spiffeh and I might just tweak some things and continue on with the story. Well, please review! ~Frankie~ 


	45. A Very UnSnapeLike Response

Author's Note: Hello people! So this is my second update for winter break and I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Its short, but I will be updating again, I promise. So, now I will award my reviewers with a little thank you:  
  
Banny- You're welcome for your Christmas gift, and here's another, slightly delayed. I hope you had a Happy Christmas too.  
  
Lovely- I'm glad you think so, other wise this whole story would be pointless.  
  
Lady Arwen Gryffindor- Interesting name. *smirks* As I said don't worry about Lily/Snape shipping with me. Its entirely one sided in my mind. It wasn't one of my favorite chapters either in all honesty, but be patient and things will happen in the manner they are supposed to.  
  
Itty Bitty Red-Head- I award you with the honor of being my first flamer. Congratulations! *hands over cigarette butt* As I said I would have a smoke when I got flamed and now you get the remnants. But in all honesty, I wasn't offended. You just basically proved my author's note correct. *smiles* Have a wonderful day!  
  
Anarane- Thanks.  
  
Dee Ann- I would make this chapter funnier, but I'm afraid its been written for quite a long time so please abide the content.  
  
Captain Oblivious- Sorry about the repetitiveness of the last chapter. I'm just trying to get James to recognize what he's doing wrong. he's a bit pig- headed in my mind. O_o.  
  
I o u a name- Thanks, I'm glad you liked it and I'm sorry I've been a bit dull the past couple chapters.  
  
Harry Potter know-it-all- Woot! New reviewer! Thank you very much; I've been worried that I keep repeating things so its nice to know that someone doesn't think I am.  
  
Christy13- Thank you very much, I try to update as often as I can.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- Whoops. *shifty eyes* Sorry bout that, I'll go attempt to fix that soon. I think everyone figured it out so, its not horrible, but thank you for pointing it out.  
  
Kristatwen- Thanks, I'll try to update more often. O_o  
  
Zombiegurl98- Thanks. I'll try.  
  
Spiritofrouge- I'm glad, glad, glad you love it.  
  
Moonlight on the Water- Do what? O_O Sorry for whatever it is I did. *passes over a tissue* Catherine, stop laughing at the misfortune of others. People will think you're evil. "But I am," says Catherine. sadly she's right.  
  
Chapter Forty-Five: A Very Un-Snape-Like Response  
  
When James returned to the library after reading the note Lily left he found that Remus had disappeared and so he went looking for him, heading to the kitchen in case Remus had gone looking for him. He caught a glimpse of a bright light near the ground by the old willow tree his great- grandfather had planted when he married James' great-grandmother. In the glow the light Lily could be seen leaning against the trunk of the tree while a figure approached her, one of Remus Lupin who hadn't known about the note.  
  
James sighed and watched the two converse briefly before Remus turned back toward the house and James headed to the door to see how Remus thought Lily was. "Well?" James asked as soon as Remus walked in.  
  
"Well what?" Remus asked, he wasn't a Seer, he didn't know what James wanted answered, though he had his suspicions of course.  
  
"How is she?" James replied anxiously and heard Remus sigh.  
  
"She's confused; I could sense that by her body language alone. She also wants some time to think I imagine, so let her be. You can talk to her later when she's thought about things and is hopefully less confused," Remus stated as he headed for the parlor that had a view of the tree where Lily sat just in case of Lily's need to send up those dreaded red sparks.  
  
James sighed and gazed out the window longingly, a three quarters moon, waning, was hanging in the dark sky that was speckled with stars and he wished that he was out there under the stars with Lily. Remus' voice suddenly interrupted his train of thought, "Lily is on her way back inside."  
  
James came back to the world with a brief nod and he stood up walking towards the front door. He opened it slowly as Lily came up the front steps. "Hi, can I talk to you for a moment?" James asked when Lily saw him standing there.  
  
"I guess," Lily said and stepped inside conscious of the fact that she was carrying letter writing materials and two distinct letters folded in her pocket.  
  
James led Lily toward the kitchen, he was giving her the power to leave when ever she wanted by choosing this environment for their conversation. He wouldn't stop her if she left. He sighed quietly before he got himself a glass of water. "Please sit down," James said before taking a seat across from where she sat and then taking a swallow of water.  
  
"What did you want to talk about?" Lily asked quietly feigning ignorance.  
  
"I said somethings earlier that were stupid and insensitive and really rather immature. I wanted to apologize to you for what I said because every time I'm around you I seem to stick my foot in my mouth and say the stupidest thing I could possibly think of to say," James said and gulped down some water.  
  
"I forgive you James, but it wasn't really your fault. I was the one who brought the topic up and I should be the one to apologize," Lily said slowly thinking that was what James wanted to hear.  
  
"Lily, it's my fault, not yours, so don't worry about apologizing. What I really came here to say was that I want to get to know you for who you are. I would like to know everything about you that I possibly can Lily. But mainly I want to be your friend," James said and looked at Lily with hopeful eyes. "If that's okay," he said quickly when Lily didn't say anything.  
  
"James you are already a friend and it would be find with me if we got to know each other," Lily replied a few moments later when she realized that he was proposing the perfect situation for both of them; to get to know each other before anything else started, if there was anything else to start.  
  
"So we can have a fresh start," James said hopefully.  
  
"Yes and maybe we won't argue so much," Lily said gently.  
  
"Hopefully," James said and smiled at her.  
  
Lily smiled back at him and sighed. "James, could you do me a favor?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Absolutely," James said pleasantly, though he sounded a little eager in his desire to please Lily. Neither of them noticed it.  
  
"Could I borrow your owl?" Lily asked extremely quietly, she sort of felt bad for asking considering who one of the letters was going to.  
  
"Sure, she's upstairs. I'll bring you up and introduce you," James said and stood up leading Lily upstairs into his room where a large birdcage stood on a pedestal near a far window. The owl was a large tawny one with yellow- amber eyes. "Good evening Cassandra, sorry that I haven't sent you out in a while. This is Lily, she's a friend and she's got a letter to send," James said lovingly and the owl hooted gently as James brushed her feathers gently before stepping away and allowing Lily access to Cassandra.  
  
"Hello Cassandra," Lily said and stepped forward. Cassandra hooted in greeting and held out her leg so Lily could attach the letters. Lily pulled both letters out of her pocket and tied them both to Cassandra's leg. Cassandra then hooted and swept out of the window majestically as Lily sighed. She'd been worried that James' owl wouldn't take the letter to Snape and was still a little worried that she wouldn't. "Thank you James," Lily said and smiled.  
  
"You're welcome," James said and had a thought of what to get Lily for her upcoming birthday as Cassandra might not always be around when Lily needed to send a letter.  
  
"I want to get some reading in, so I'm going to head down to the library, would you like to join me?" Lily asked as James seemed to be thinking.  
  
"Sure, we can tell Remus we're no longer at odds, again," James said and held out his arm in a gentlemanly fashion. Lily took it and they went down to the library where Remus was so absorbed in his book he barely noticed them enter. Lily and James sighed as one before Lily went and picked up a guide to Charms from a shelf and sat down to read.  
  
Across the country, somewhere near London the owl called Cassandra flew through the darkened sky as silent as death. She'd already delivered Catherine's letter in Ireland and was now making for a small township where Severus Snape lived and breathed.  
  
He could be found in his basement brewing potions ad conjuring things out of boredom as well as study and was quite surprised to hear the tapping of the owl's beak on a window to get his attention. He climbed steadily up the stairs, his fowl demeanor betraying nothing of his feelings. He was hopeful that Lily had responded and when the owl proved to be James Potter's Snape found himself feeling something close to joy. He smashed it absently as he untied the letter and the owl took off hooting indignantly. It clearly shared it's master's feelings for Snape.  
  
Severus Snape slowly opened the letter and began to read. He had to reread it about five times before what Lily had written began to sink in. She wanted his help, his unbiased advice and it almost made him laugh. "Unbiased me? That's laughable," he muttered before he closed the window and went down to his basement again where his desk sat ruthlessly organized and predictable. He sat down to compose something to suitable to say.  
  
Everyone needs some way of venting and if you wish to use our correspondence as something of the sort I imagine that it can be done. As for unbiased advice I'm almost sorry to say that I probably won't be of much help there. You have probably already heard tales from Potter and Black about me so you will probably understand why that probably won't happen, but I will do my best.  
  
As for Potter's compliments, I would probably have to agree with them beyond my better judgment as to agree with Potter on anything. I don't know what your sister and her husband said to you or made you do but I can relate. My own childhood wasn't at all wonderful. My father was cruel to me and my mother and so I grew up in a loveless home. He shouted at her a lot.  
  
Snape paused his quill hovering above the parchment that he was severely tempted to tear into shreds. He'd never confided in anyone and the only person outside his "family" that knew about his childhood was Lucius Malfoy because his has been much the same. Though the man was older he had been one of Severus' only "friends". He sighed and continued to write.  
  
I've never told anyone but Lucius Malfoy about my childhood, please keep it to yourself. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, I trust you, it's almost frightening.  
  
"If less I ask," tear-blind she mocked, "I may be less denied."  
  
Snape finished the letter and rolled it up sealing it with a spell that he didn't know that Lily didn't know. It was a form of habit and he's forgotten that he did it even before he sent his owl, Poe, out into the dead of night and went back to his potion making before he would fall into a restless sleep somewhere around six that morning.  
  
A/N: Alright guys. All I have to say here is that the quote at the end of Snape's letter is from "The Dead Faith" by Fannie Heaslip Lea and it's rather current but it kinda fits. Hope you all like it. ~Frankie~ 


	46. Charity Ball & Breakfast

Author's Note: Alright children. I will make the announcement here; there will be no Lily/Snape shipping! Snape may or may not like her but she is destined for James and nothing will change that, so please, please be patient with the letters the two exchange. Now that I've made that clear, I do not own Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Snape, Peter or any other Harry Potter characters, they are the brilliant creation of Miss J.K. Rowling and I have no claim to them. Catherine is "mine" but that's about it. So on to thank my reviewers:  
  
Christy13- Thanks, I hope this is soon enough.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- I'm glad you love it! And I'm glad it was good. ^_^  
  
Lady Arwen Gryffindor- I'm glad it was enjoyable, I find the darker aspect of things to be more real, but that's just me. On the edge of your seat huh? Well, that's something that I think will continue, if things go off as I hope they will. Thank you very much!  
  
Captain Oblivious- You are one of the few that love the Snape/Lily letters. I'm glad James and Lily finally made up as well. It was making me annoyed to have them fighting so much.  
  
Anarane- Thanks  
  
R.T. - Yes, but I inserted a trait of mine here, she's got numerous diaries. I believe you've already found Remus, though you seem to be oddly obsessed with our darling Remus.  
  
Manny2003- Thanks, here's the next one hun.  
  
Kristatwen- The spell he used is basically one that caused the parchment to be blank if someone else other then its intended opens it. Sorry that I didn't explain that. If anyone else looks at it it's a blank bit of parchment. An invention of mine.  
  
Don Raphiel- Don't worry about it, it just got a little annoying when it was every review you were demanding violence that I couldn't give. This story is going to be quite a bit longer. I think it might end up being something like 100 chapters, maybe more because I still have at least two years to write. Though I will not being writing every day of the two years. so you'll just have to be patient.  
  
Esgalhothwen- Thank you, this is one of the best reviews I've received. I'm glad you think I've done so well tying into Rowling's stuff. I've been struggling with that. So thank you.  
  
So-tight- Thank you and I will do my best to write this story to the end because it interests me and I need to write the end.  
  
HarryPotterSNL- I'm pleased that you couldn't get away from your computer for the whole day; it means I did my job. ^_^  
  
Optical Illusions- Thank you, I do my best.  
  
I o u a name- I'm glad that you love it and that it was better then the last. No Snape/Lily thing as far as I know, but then again I'm not in Snape's mind, I couldn't tell you want he wants.  
  
Chapter Forty-Six: Charity Ball & Breakfast  
  
Lily heard the tapping in her sleep as dawn approached and she climbed out of her bed groggily to get the letter and the owl swooped back out the window again. Lily dropped the unopened letter in her desk drawer and crawled back into bed planning to sleep for at least another hour before she would have to get up to make breakfast. She was only able to manage a half hour as she was awakened from her slumber by a female voice, persistent and far too happy for this time in the morning.  
  
"Lily! Wake up! C'mon you've gotta wake up!" the voice said as the girl shook Lily slowly but surely awake.  
  
"Damnit Catherine go away! I'm trying to sleep," Lily said hoarsely as she rolled over and pressed her head into the pillow to drown out Catherine's voice.  
  
"Sorry, I can't. I figured out a way to help you," Catherine said and dumped the early edition of the Daily Prophet on Lily's head. "But it's got a deadline and I need to know if you agree," she said hurriedly and Lily slowly sat up and blinked angrily at Catherine. "Read that before you tear my head off," she said and tapped the paper.  
  
Lily groaned and picked up the paper before beginning to read.  
  
St. Mungo's Hospital of Magical Maladies and Injuries in conjunction with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is proud to present their first ever Charity Costume Ball. The ball will be held at Hogwarts on August 12th to give all attendees time to prepare their costumes. All persons must disguise themselves as fully as possible until the end of the night. Invitations will be sent out to Ministry Officials as well as Charitable Families. Look for yours in the post soon!  
  
Lily looked up at Catherine. "You've obviously lost it Catherine. I don't see how this will help me," she said and yawned before attempting to roll over and go back to sleep.  
  
"No, you're just not awake enough to see what I see," Catherine said firmly and rolled Lily back over manually. "C'mon get up! We have to plan what to do about James," Catherine whispered and Lily opened her eyes.  
  
Lily sat up very slowly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Let me take a shower and we'll talk," Lily said and when Catherine nodded Lily climbed off the bed and walked to the bathroom to take her shower and wake up. She came back out thirty minutes later in jeans and a gray t-shirt to find Catherine sprawled out on her bed staring at the ceiling.  
  
"Finally I was beginning to think you drowned yourself," Catherine said as she sat up.  
  
"No," Lily said and smirked, "but I was thinking about it. So explain this grand plan of yours," she said as she sat down on the bed and brushed her wet hair.  
  
Catherine smiled brightly and then began. "Well when I got your letter I started to think about possible plans to see if James really likes you or just all that bloody red hair. All the things I thought of before the Prophet came were bound to fail. Then I saw the notice about the costume ball and had a stroke of genius," she said and seemed to be restraining a great deal of excited energy.  
  
"And?" Lily said slightly curious as to what could be done with this costume party.  
  
"And I decided that we could use the Polyjuice Potion," Catherine said as if this was the epitome of brilliant ideas.  
  
"Polyjuice Potion?" Lily asked slowly and looked a little confused.  
  
"You know, the one where you take a bit of someone's hair, drop it in and become them for an hour," Catherine said excitedly.  
  
Lily looked extremely skeptical and she raised her eyebrows as she said, "What about it?"  
  
"Oh I know you're not this slow, c'mon think Evans," Catherine said as if Lily's lack of magical knowledge was disappointing. Lily thought but she still wasn't running on all cylinders. Catherine sighed. "Fine, I'll just tell you. We'll use the Polyjuice Potion to see if James notices you as someone else, someone plain and boring looking while a decoy of you goes around the costume ball," she said and bounced happily on the bed.  
  
Lily looked confused still. "Who would be the decoy?" she asked.  
  
"Now who do you think? I would, of course, and I would act like a royal bitch if James decided to attach himself to me playing at being you," Catherine said and cackled as she grinned like a fool.  
  
Lily's eyes widened. "That's almost cruel," she said and then smiled, "But it's brilliant Catherine!"  
  
"I know and it's prefect! The only way James would find out that it was a plot is if you or I told him and that won't happen," Catherine said and smiled happily. "So what do you say?" she asked knowing Lily might change her mind.  
  
"How would we get a hold of the Polyjuice Potion?" Lily asked quietly.  
  
"I know someone who might be willing to help," Catherine said with a grin.  
  
"Who?" Lily asked suspiciously.  
  
Catherine sighed, "Snape," she said and hoped that it wouldn't discourage Lily from going through with things.  
  
"No," Lily said firmly.  
  
"I was afraid you'd say that," Catherine said and sighed. "Listen, I'm good at Potions but this potion is extremely complicated and if I were to mess it up it could be disastrous," she said. "I'm doing this to help you and if you want I can tell Snape I need it for something else," Catherine said beginning to feel that Lily wouldn't go along with the plan.  
  
Lily sighed. "It is really the only way?" she asked quietly.  
  
"The only way that will work with the least risk," Catherine said quietly her former energy seemed to be slipping away as Lily delayed her final decision.  
  
Lily sighed and bowed her head. "Alright, but don't tell him unless it's absolutely necessary," she said and then looked back up at Catherine.  
  
"Really?" Catherine asked hopefully.  
  
"Really," Lily acknowledged slowly.  
  
"Yes! You won't regret this Lily!" Catherine exclaimed excitedly and hugged Lily tightly. "I haven't felt like this since Hogwarts," she said as she released Lily.  
  
"Alright, now I have to go make breakfast. James has to go to work soon," Lily said quietly. "So you can either go talk to Snape or stay and keep me company for a while," she said as she climbed off the bed to quickly make it.  
  
"I'll stick around," Catherine said as she watched Lily make her bed before they headed down to the kitchen where Remus was sitting with a cup of coffee.  
  
"You made coffee?" Lily asked slowly wondering if James had already come and gone.  
  
"Just for myself. I needed a pick me up and figured you'd be down in a while, but now I see why you weren't down sooner," Remus said nodding at Catherine.  
  
"Hello Remus," Catherine said brightly and sat down across from him.  
  
"Catherine, when did you get here?" Remus asked politely.  
  
"Oh about a half hour ago. I had to talk to Lily about something," Catherine said and smiled at Remus, the smiled told him that it was a private matter and it wouldn't be discussed.  
  
"Catherine decided that she wanted to help me with Potions," Lily said and winked at Catherine before taking eggs, bacon and cheese out of the fridge and some potatoes out of the pantry. "Will one of you clean and peel those potatoes for me?" she asked as she set the potatoes in the sink.  
  
Catherine walked over muttered, "Scourgify," and the potatoes were washed and a minute later came another spell that skinned the potatoes. "Tada," Catherine said and laughed at Lily's awestruck look.  
  
"Thanks," Lily said and took a cheese grater out of the cupboard. "Mind shredding them?" she asked and Catherine set to it giving Lily time to prepare the rest of breakfast. "And five plates from that cupboard there," Lily delegated as James walked into the kitchen looking surprised.  
  
"Uh, good morning," James said from the doorway looking from Lily to Catherine in shock. "I wasn't expecting you Catherine," he said once he gained his bearings. "Nice to see you," he said clearly wondering if he was still sleeping.  
  
"And you James," Catherine said flashing him a brilliant smile before setting the plates on the table.  
  
"May I ask why you're here?" James asked as he put his robes of the back of his chair.  
  
"She's decided to help me with basic potions," Lily said as she carried a frying pan over to the table and dished out an egg per plate muttered a warming charm unconsciously and headed back to the stove to cook the shredded potatoes with cheddar cheese.  
  
"I see," James said as he realized that Lily was slowly gaining prowess with her powers and that soon, within a few months she'd know everything she needed to know to run the house entirely on magic. It was awe- inspiring.  
  
"Take a seat, I'll get you some coffee," Catherine said genially to James as she wandered over to the cupboard with the cups and saucers in it.  
  
James leaned over to Remus. "Has she been this cheerful since you saw her?" he asked quietly. Remus nodded and looked at the paper, barely glancing at the article about the costume ball. "It's a bit scary," James said and sat up straight when Catherine turned back with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands which she set near James' plate. "Thank you," James said and smiled at her in a friendly manner.  
  
"You're welcome," Catherine said, her far-too-chipper-for-a-Slytherin voice making all of them want to laugh and Lily did.  
  
"Oh quit it! You're scaring them," Lily said as she turned the bacon a little before bringing it over and putting a few pieces on each person's plate.  
  
"Speaking of scaring, where are Peter and Sirius?" Catherine asked slowly as she got coffee for her self and Lily bringing it over to the table.  
  
"Peter's upstairs. I'm not sure when he's coming down. He's been sleeping a lot lately and Sirius is at Bella's," Remus announced nonchalantly as he watched Catherine carefully for a reaction.  
  
Catherine's brows rose slightly. "I see. Do you know when he's going to return?" she asked trying to feign any overt interest in Sirius' whereabouts.  
  
"Not really as morning to him can mean anything from five in the morning to noon," Remus said as he rearranged the paper and set it down folded in half. Ironically the Charity Ball announcement lay face up on the table as Remus seemed to automatically know when the cheesy potatoes were done and Lily came over moments later to dish everyone a good sized portion of them.  
  
Lily quickly turned back to the stove to shut off the burners and get the frying pan out of the way. As she sat down beside Catherine, James noticed that her cheeks were pink and she was practically glowing. James' reverence of the face that she was happy, really happy, was broken by a high pitched outburst from the kitchen door. Catherine who had been expecting Sirius and Arabella was almost shocked when Peter was the one standing in the doorway with wide eyes and pudgy hands covering his mouth, the source of the almost feminine squeak.  
  
"Peter, come join us, we were just about to start. Would you like some orange juice or coffee?" Lily asked sweetly.  
  
"O-orange juice please," Peter said as he slowly stepped into the kitchen eyeing Catherine suspiciously with every step that he took towards the empty seat next to Remus across from Catherine.  
  
Catherine watched Peter like a hawk eying a rodent for its next meal. She almost couldn't believe that the other three boys had taken Peter under their wing. She'd never been a fan of Peter Pettigrew and she knew she wouldn't trust him with a sickle but she kept her tongue civil and ate slowly. "This is great Lily," she said gesturing to her plate with her fork before stabbing at some potatoes.  
  
"Thank you," Lily said and smiled as she set down the glass of orange juice in front of Peter. She felt sorry for him; Catherine's presence obviously made him nervous, his whole body was tense as if he anticipated something fowl from Catherine's side of the table.  
  
To get peoples' minds off the awkwardness that was radiating from Peter Catherine searched for a topic. The Prophet sat on the table reminding her of her and Lily's plan. "So are you going to go to the party?" she asked gesturing to the paper looking around the table.  
  
James scrunched up his nose. "Things like that are always stuffy," he said and took a piece of bacon into his mouth.  
  
"This one looks more interesting. It's a costume ball, Hogwarts is hosting it," Catherine said off handedly as she glanced at Lily. The only way their plan would work would be if James actually went to the party.  
  
"A costume ball? Really? I've never been to one of those," Lily said and her face held a note of curiosity as she reached across the table for the paper which Remus handed her with his free hand.  
  
"Hogwarts held one for students when we were in seventh year," James said and he scowled at the memory. He and Sirius had gotten detentions for locking Snape in a broom closet without his wand. Their dates had been most displeased. The night had also fallen on a full moon. It had been a bad night all around.  
  
Seeing James' far away look and Remus' closed expression Lily knew that they hadn't attended the costume ball. "It might be interesting to go. Besides, I might never get another chance to see Hogwarts in the flesh," Lily said playing her trump card that would guarantee that James would want her to experience it. "C'mon James, I won't go if you don't," she said with pleading eyes.  
  
Catherine was almost nervous when Lily said this but her nerves were eased a moment later when James sighed in defeat. "Oh alright, I'll go but I hope that Remus and Sirius can be as easily convinced," he said and looked over at Remus with an amused glance.  
  
"I don't see a reason why I shouldn't go and Lily's right. It might be interesting," Remus said; he'd already worked out the dates. The full moon was a whole two weeks before the ball and the next two weeks after. It fell conveniently on his strongest day possible, a new moon.  
  
"Now we just have to convince Sirius," Lily said with an excited smile.  
  
"Convince me of what now?" Sirius asked as he strolled casually into the kitchen eyeing Catherine curiously behind Lily before focusing on the redhead again.  
  
"To go to the costume ball at Hogwarts," Catherine said jubilantly as she ate a piece of bacon and washed it down with coffee.  
  
"Costume ball?" Sirius questioned as Lily who quickly explained the situation.  
  
"Well?" Lily asked and pretended to be unconcerned with what his answer would be.  
  
"If I have to go so does Sirius," James muttered quietly.  
  
"I was planning on it once Lily explained. I have a great idea for a costume," Sirius replied and smirked at James.  
  
James stuck out his tongue childishly before finishing his meal. "I've got to get to work, I'll see you all later," James said and finished his coffee quickly.  
  
"Have a good day James," Lily said with a smile.  
  
"You too," James said as he threw on his robes and disapparated to the Ministry of Magic.  
  
Catherine sighed as she finished her meal. "This was delicious Lily, remind me to come over more often," she said and smiled at Lily.  
  
"Thanks Catherine, I will," Lily said and finished her meal and began to clear the table as Remus finished too and Peter was picking at his food.  
  
"How about I go see what James has got in his library as far as potions books go, would anyone care to join me?" Catherine said as she was starting to almost feel bad about making Peter nervous.  
  
"Sirius and I can," Remus said and Catherine nodded leaving the kitchen with Remus and Sirius not far behind.  
  
When they were out of ear shot Peter let out a sigh that sounded as if he'd been holding his breath. "You okay Peter?" Lily asked as she brought dishes to the sink.  
  
"Catherine makes me nervous," Peter said very quietly as he knew that in a matter of days Lily and Catherine had formed an odd sort of bond. It was almost as if they'd been friends for years rather then days and it wasn't just a one sided thing. Catherine seemed to know things about Lily and it made Peter even more nervous then only Catherine's presence ever could.  
  
"Why?" Lily asked curiously as these feelings Peter was having about Catherine made her feel bad. She wanted to make Peter feel comfortable around Catherine.  
  
"I don't know. It might just be long standing reasons from Hogwarts," Peter said, took one more bite of his potatoes and stood up. "I have a couple things I need to check on for the funeral. So I'll see you later," he said and walked upstairs to his room to shower and change before leaving quickly.  
  
Lily rushed through the dishes and quickly made her way to the library to see how Catherine had made out with the potions books.  
  
Catherine walked into the library and started perusing the shelves every once in a while pulling a hopeful looking book off the shelf and then pushing it back in disgust. Remus and Sirius had sat down watching this interesting show curiously until Lily walked in some twenty or so minutes later. "How are things coming?" Lily asked and followed Catherine's progress along the shelves. Catherine grunted derisively and Lily said, "That good huh?"  
  
"Its pitiful, not that this isn't a great library but the only books on potions he's got are the ones from school," Catherine said as she pulled two books off the shelves and headed back to the table that they sat near. She looked around curiously. "Where's Peter?" she asked quickly.  
  
"He said he had something to do about his grandmothers' funeral," Lily replied quietly and Catherine nodded silently.  
  
"I forgot they were related," Catherine mumbled and sat down dejectedly. "This is almost hopeless, but we've got to start somewhere, as we're beginning from scratch. I'm going to go see about getting you some different books and I'll be back in a few hours," she said standing up and disapparating to a darkened house across the country.  
  
A/N: Alright guys. I think this may be the last chapter for a bit. I have to get started on my homework before break ends and if I manage to get it done I'll attempt another chapter, but don't be too hopeful. I hope you like this chapter. ~Frankie~ 


	47. Unmerciful Potions

Author's Note: Hi... *waves feebly* Sorry for it being so long since my last update. I'm a horrible author I know and I feel terrible. I was sick so much in the last few months that I was having a terrible time catching up with homework, not to mention I'm a procrastinator of horrendous proportions, so I was extremely stressed out. Now, on Tuesday (the 17th) I start at a new school, with supposedly less homework and hopefully more time to update. So I will give my thank yous and let you get to the story:  
  
Dee Ann- Multiple personalities I see. I'm sorry for angering the bad side.  
  
Captain Oblivious- I think that people think that the Snape/Lily letters are going to make it take longer for James and Lily to get together, so they dislike them, or they just don't like Snape. You think Catherine is a Death Eater? Hmm... I can't tell ya sweetie, but keep reading and you'll find out which way she does swing.  
  
Don Raphiel- I'm glad you love the plan. They do not need a partner for the costume ball, though they can bring a date or whatever if they wish. It's basically for anyone.  
  
Anarane- Thanks.  
  
R.T. - I'm glad you love it and I'm sorry I've kept you waiting on the chapter. Thank you for reviewing... and do it more often... O_o... or at least as often as I update. ^_^ Ah, I understand the obsession with darling Remy then.  
  
Victoria- Sorry to disappoint, but Peter will be a fixture in the story for quite a while, which I despise with a passion, but alas, I have to write it. I'm glad you like the story though!  
  
Lady Arwen Gryffindor- The second person to think Catherine is a Death Eater. Hmm... alas I cannot say if you are right or if you are wrong. It would ruin the plot so terribly, but trust your instincts and you may be right.  
  
LJstagflower4e/JCtigerwolf4e- The lady of two names... Well, the plan was developed during a four am writing session with my muse, so it is flawed and such, which is the point, though I admit your version of things would make much more sense. I never said Catherine was a genius, nor Lily... but you shall eventually see how things go, and so will I as I haven't written it yet. *sigh*  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- Thanks, and I'm terribly sorry how long this took. I hope that my reviewers don't hate me too badly.  
  
Kristatwen- Odd moods are just fine considering that pretty much all I have written has been done in an odd mood. Sorry to keep you waiting!  
  
Optical Illusions- Are you alive? ^_^ I've been trying to get this out for a little bit, sorry for such a horrible wait.  
  
Acacia Jules- "Arabella deserves it if Sirius moved on to Catherine" Well, I have other plans for dear Catherine, but I completely agree with you about Bella and Sirius. It's horrible, and I feel horrible for writing Sirius into all these horrible situations. Poor Sirius.  
  
Coffechick- Wow... This I think is the longest review I have ever gotten. ^_^ I'm glad that my story was memorable enough for you to search for it. That makes me just go squee! Snape's letters to Lily are of his own volition. I'm sorry that the Marauders are a bit mature. Remus, I've always believed to be the most mature one, so he's pretty much how I pictured him at Hogwarts. Sirius, well, I feel that he's forcing himself to grow up because of Bella and all. James, well, in my story he didn't have the whole "I'm obsessed with Lily to the point of annoyance" thing and so he's a little more mature, not to mention his job. Arabella's character is slipping because I despise writing it now that I know the truth... and Cath, well, she's Cath. I'm trying to get more Voldy activity in, and I keep forgetting or stretching the story out more. I'm such a putz, but I'm glad that you like my story.  
  
Banny- Sorry for the wait and I'm glad my story is different then the other's that's what I like to hear about my writing. It shows I'm being original and that my 'voice' is coming out. If only I could do that with something I could publish for money. Anything Lily/Snape will be purely as friends, I promise.  
  
Sissy-6- I wonder myself sometimes. Sorry for the delay.  
  
Angelzsweet90- Thanks. Sorry it took so long.  
  
Jen-Jen3- Thank you! One of your favorites you say? ^_^ I'm glad you think its original... and I have kept writing, just not online. *sighs* I write everything in notebooks before I type it up, allows me to carry it wherever I go.  
  
Don Raphiel- Again. I'm still very honored about your proposition. Go ahead with putting it up.  
  
Akirel35- Don't worry about not reviewing for so long its just good to know you're still around. There may or may not be something between them. You'll have to wait and see. I'm glad she's one of your favorite characters, its good to know an OC can do that.  
  
dL1255- I see. Thank you for reviewing.  
  
Now, on to the story as I know you have all been waiting far too long for this update.  
  
Chapter Forty-Seven: Unmerciful Potions  
  
When Catherine left Remus spoke up. "Would you like to work on defense until Catherine returns?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Sure," Lily said and Remus smiled before digging out a list of things from his pocket.  
  
And so they worked out of the books, Remus speaking to Lily about boggarts to start with. "Then hide in dark enclosed spaces and the only way to get rid of them is with laughter," Remus explained. "If I knew where a boggart could be found in James' house I would go look for one but I'm not sure if there is one," he said. "But anyways, the spell is 'Riddickulus' whatever shape the boggart transforms into is your worst fear and when you say the spell you have to concentrate on something that would make this fear humorous," Remus skewed up his face. "Is this making any sense? It's so much easier to just do it to a boggart," he sighed and leaned back in the chair. "How about you read the section on boggarts in the book and Sirius and I will go see if we can dig one out," Remus said as he turned to Sirius for confirmation but Sirius had disappeared when Remus has first mentioned boggarts to look for one.  
  
So Lily got to reading while Remus and Sirius searched high and low to see if a boggart had decided to set up shop in James' house. They managed to find one in an old jewelry box in the basement.  
  
"Found one," Remus said happily as he carried in the old jewelry box. "Did you finish the section?" he asked as he set down the box which proceeded to make the box shake and shudder every couple seconds. The feeling that the boggart brought with it made Lily feel sick to her stomach.  
  
"Do we have to do this today?" Lily asked as her stomach clenched involuntarily and she felt like she was going to either vomit or faint.  
  
Remus looked as her curiously for a moment and then gave Sirius the box. "Go put this in my room would you," he said and Sirius nodded quickly taking the boggart infested box out of the library. "Lily, what is it? What are you afraid of?" he asked quietly as he crouched in front of her chair.  
  
"I'm not sure. I don't know what I'm afraid of," Lily said and ran her hand through her hair nervously.  
  
"Can you remember ever being frightened of anything?" Remus asked as he gently put his hand on hers in comfort.  
  
"My parents leaving, being alone, things like that," Lily said quietly, "but this feeling is different because they're already gone and I've been alone since they died. I can't explain what I'm afraid of because I don't know," she said slowly as if she was trying to work through what she was feeling.  
  
Remus looked thoughtful. "Lily, my only suggestion is that the sooner you see what it is you're afraid of you'll be able to get through it," he said with a warm smile. "And I'll be right here to make the boggart go away because it is only a boggart," he said and rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand gently to reassure her.  
  
Lily sighed. She knew if she let herself worry about what she would see when the box opened that she would forever be afraid of meeting a boggart. "Bring it back. I'll do it now," Lily said as she straightened her backbone and took a few calming breaths.  
  
"Really?" Remus questioned uncertainly. "I don't want to pressure you," he said and bit his lip a little.  
  
"You're not. I can't be afraid of this, I would never be able to do this alone if I don't know now what I'm scared of," Lily said strongly and Remus nodded before heading upstairs to get the boggart again.  
  
Catherine knocked loudly for what seemed like the millionth time on the dark brown door of the brown brick house. The door opened angrily and Severus Snape stood there in graying robes with a scowl on his face. His eyes squinted to avoid the sunlight. "What do you what?" he snapped as he looked at Catherine through the slits of his eyes and was tempted to slam the door shut.  
  
"To talk," Catherine said slowly and quietly.  
  
Snape looked at Catherine with curiosity now before saying, "In," and opening the door a little wider. "What do you want?" he asked again after Catherine stepped in and he closed the door.  
  
"I helped you out at Hogwarts and now I've come to claim the debt you owe me," Catherine said and eyed Snape coldly as she hoped he would help.  
  
Snape snarled. "I owe you no debt. We got detentions for that stupid stunt you pulled," he said angrily as his eyes glinted in the dim light.  
  
"I helped to keep you from more embarrassment Severus. You owe me," Catherine said defiantly.  
  
Snape glowered his eyes still glinting angrily above his hooked nose. "What do you want?" he asked again as his meager supply of patience was beginning to wear thin.  
  
"Two things, one of them won't take five minutes, the other is going to take longer," Catherine replied and crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"What are they Catherine? I'm growing more impatient by the minute," Snape said and he too crossed his arms making him resemble a giant bat.  
  
"A list of books to teach Lily Potions from," Catherine said and noted that Snape's body language altered slightly. "And for you to make the Polyjuice Potion," she said seriously.  
  
Snape's eyebrows rose imperiously. "Polyjuice Potion? That's an intriguing request, why do you need it?" Snape asked and watched Catherine closely.  
  
"It's none of your concern why I need it just that you need to make it," Catherine said with a scowl.  
  
"And why can't you? I seem to remember you getting exceptional grades. You were one of Henderson's favorites," Snape snapped at her trying to anger her. It would be easier for him to tell if she was lying if she was angry.  
  
"I might make it wrong and do serious damage to myself. If you make it I can trust you to have it perfect," Catherine replied lazily and she knew that was the real reason she'd gone to Snape. She wanted to survive this little plot of hers and she didn't want Lily to be hurt either.  
  
"Polyjuice Potion is dangerous Mcgeogehegan. How do I know you're not lying?" Snape asked silkily and leaned against the door with his arms crossed.  
  
"Fine. You want to know the truth? I don't trust myself to make it correctly and if it was just me I'd say to hell with it but it's not just me," Catherine said loudly and eyed Snape with an annoyed glare.  
  
"Who else?" Snape asked curiously.  
  
"I cannot say, they made me promise not to tell you that much," Catherine said quietly feigning defeat and keeping her eyes locked with Snape's.  
  
Snape growled and walked down to the basement. "Follow me," he called and heard Catherine descending the stairs behind him.  
  
The candle lit room was dim and gray and Catherine knew why he'd squinted now considering how little daylight he saw. There was an unmade twin bed in one corner and a potions laboratory in the rest of the large basement. Snape was over at a desk writing out something. "That list," he said and foisted the sheet of parchment at Catherine before walking over to a shelf and pulling down a battered copy of "Moste Potente Potions" and opening to a page somewhere in the middle, his long spindly finger moving down the list of ingredients. He walked to his store cupboards and opened jars and bottles to check his supply. "You're lucky I have all the ingredients necessary. When do you need it by?" Snape asked looking over his shoulder.  
  
"The costume ball announced in the Daily Prophet, August 12th," Catherine said lightly trying to conceal her pleasure at Snape's acceptance.  
  
"You're even luckier that I picked fluxweed just last week," Snape grumbled as he'd been hoping to have an excuse not to make the potion.  
  
"It seems as if Fate has smiled on me," Catherine said with a smirk. "We really appreciate this," she said a moment later.  
  
"We? So you speak of yourself in third person these days Mcgeogehegan?" Snape said in an amused tone of voice.  
  
"Oh yes, all the time, multiple personalities you know," Catherine said scathingly.  
  
Snape rolled his eyes. "I will owl you when it's ready. Good day," Snape said as he pulled his jars and bottles off the shelves of his store cupboard and set to work as Catherine left. She headed to Diagon Alley to purchase the books Snape has recommended for Lily's lessons and that's when it struck her as odd that he hadn't asked more about why Lily needed schooling in Potions. Anyone who didn't know would have been innately curious and Snape was no different then any other person. The only explanation was that Snape had a source, someone that knew Lily had just found out about her powers.  
  
A confused Catherine stepped into Flourish and Blotts and came out a little later with a heavy bag of books. "Trust Snape to suggest heavy books," she said and went back to the Leaky Cauldron to disapparate to a small house in northern Scotland where a message was scrawled in bold block letters on a plain piece of parchment lying on an unfinished wooden table. She read it quickly and grimaced at what she had to do but she resigned herself to it and went back to James' house after lighting the message aflame and letting it burn to ashes in the grate.  
  
Catherine appeared in Lily's room out of familiarity and silently crept out of the room slipping into Remus' room where an old jewelry box caught her attention and she walked over to it. The box started to shake and Catherine nearly jumped out of her skin. She was just about to open it when the door into the room was pushed open, as she'd left it ajar, and Remus stood there with Sirius for company. "Catherine, what are you doing in my room?" Remus asked curiously.  
  
"I just got back and I apparated to Lily's room and was coming down to find you when I heard something, this box actually, making a lot of noise," Catherine fabricated on the spot without a blush and without a hint that she was lying. "Is it a boggart or something else?" she asked as she looked back at the box.  
  
"Yes, I was going to help Lily with it," Remus said slowly.  
  
"Are you sure she's ready for boggarts?" Catherine asked worriedly.  
  
"No actually I'm not, but you're here now and you can help her with Potions. We'll worry about the boggart tomorrow or later in the week," Remus said actually relieved that Catherine had showed up and that Lily would be able to think of something lest frightening to her. She'd looked so ill just with the boxed boggart that he wondered what Lily was afraid of but didn't want to rush her.  
  
Sirius walked into the library head of Catherine and Remus and said, "Look who we found upstairs," as Catherine walked in the door with the bag full of books.  
  
"You're back!" Lily said delightedly when she spotted Catherine and set her book aside.  
  
"Right in one, so do you want to get started with the Potions?" Catherine asked as she set the books down on the table in front of Lily.  
  
"Absolutely," Lily said eagerly trying to keep from showing her immense relief over not having to face the boggart.  
  
"Wonderful, let's get started," Catherine said and pulled the books out of the bag. They worked together studying the books before getting started on a potion which Catherine chose because it was the first potion Henderson has set in her first year. After 45 minutes Catherine and Lily were arguing. "You're doing it wrong," Catherine said angrily.  
  
"You aren't paying enough attention to what's happening, you're the one doing it wrong," Lily protested when a loud whistling started coming from the cauldron. Lily and Catherine looked at the cauldron and then at each other with wide eyes. "Not again," Lily said and the two of them ducked below the table just as the potion exploded splattering across windows and the furniture covered by charms. A moment after the potion exploded and the small parlor they'd been using was unrecognizable under the slime of the potion. Lily and Catherine looked out from under the table that was dripping orange sludge and then looked at each other. They began to chuckle and then laugh; soon they were rocking back and forth at the hilarity of the scene before them.  
  
"J-James is gonna kill us," Lily managed to say before bursting into another round of laughter that Catherine quickly joined.  
  
The two laughing girls brought Remus and Sirius into the room. Sirius took one look at Lily and Catherine and doubled over laughing. "What happened?" Remus asked his eyes wide as he tried to refrain from laughing.  
  
"What does it look like? They blew up the potion!" Sirius shouted his voice ringing with laughter down the hallway where someone had just appeared.  
  
Footsteps coming down the hallway announced their arrival. "What's going on here?" James asked from behind Sirius making the young man jump and the two girls crouched under the table screech in surprise.  
  
"James, aren't you home a little early?" Lily asked awkwardly as she looked out from the table beneath her red hair.  
  
"Moody let me out early," James said lightly. "So tell me what happened," he said quietly.  
  
"Can you clean up the mess so we can get out from under the table?" Catherine said with an annoyed tone.  
  
Sirius pulled out his wand. "Evanesco," he said and with a wave of his wand the orange slime disappeared and the melted remains of the cauldron went with it.  
  
Remus and James walked over and helped Catherine and Lily up respectively. "Thanks," Catherine said and smiled at Remus.  
  
"Not a problem," Remus said and smiled back.  
  
"Now can you explain?" James asked patiently even though it had been a shock to walk in and see the room covered with exploded potion and Lily and Catherine hiding under the table.  
  
"We blew up a potion," Lily said meekly as she exchanged glances with Catherine.  
  
"Why?" James asked quietly as he knew that Catherine was adept at potions and got decent marks at Hogwarts.  
  
"I'd say it was meant to be," Catherine mumbled to herself.  
  
Lily shot Catherine a look. "It was an accident James," Lily said quietly and pushed her hair back from her face with one hand.  
  
"It's okay, nothing was damaged. It's just lucky no one walked into the room before it blew up," Sirius said mildly and led the way out of the room.  
  
"Catherine, can I talk to you upstairs?" Lily said quietly as they filed out of the room.  
  
"Sure," Catherine said and followed Lily upstairs to Lily's room.  
  
James, Sirius and Remus exchanged looks. "That was odd," Sirius said as he hadn't heard was Catherine had said.  
  
"Just a little," James said and wondered what Lily and Catherine were going to talk about before realizing that Peter was missing. "Where's Peter?" he asked.  
  
Sirius wrinkled up his forehead in thought. "I don't know he disappeared after breakfast. Maybe Lily knows where he went," Sirius said and shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
"I saw him go upstairs after breakfast but he never came down," Remus said slowly. "Maybe it was something for the funeral tomorrow," he said quietly.  
  
"Probably," James said as they made their way toward the kitchen.  
  
Peter had gone to check on funeral plans but he'd also stopped somewhere else. There was an abandoned farm south of Inverness, Scotland and Peter was standing in the barn where remains of farming equipment lay rusting and old hay bales decomposed. "What is it you wished to speak about Wormtail?" said a cold harsh voice from behind Peter making him jump. The owner of the voice laughed mercilessly making Peter nervous.  
  
"M-master," Peter said and crawled forward kissing the hems of Voldemort's robes.  
  
"Stand up Wormtail," Voldemort hissed sounding very much like a serpent waiting for a meal.  
  
"I have news," Peter said shakily and kept his gaze down as he rose to his feet.  
  
"Well, what is it?" Voldemort said coldly and Peter had almost wished he's shouted as the words were filled with so much contempt.  
  
"Evans and Potter aren't pursuing a relationship. They seem to be waiting for something," Peter said trying to keep from stuttering.  
  
"Like what?" Voldemort asked as if curious for Peter to continue.  
  
"I'm not sure but its Evans' decision," Peter said quietly trying to work up the courage to ask what he really came to ask.  
  
Voldemort closed his eyes. "What did you really wish you speak with me Wormtail?" he asked lazily when he opened his eyes which showed his impatience with his spy. Peter swallowed nervously. "I-I k-know y-you a- asked me t-to st-stay with P-Potter b-but I-I think t-they m-may g-get s- suspicious of m-me if I-I s-stay m-much longer," he stuttered and wrung his hands nervously knowing that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could kill him in moments if he chose.  
  
"So," Voldemort said making the word seem to last forever, "what you're really asking is for my permission to move out," he said slowly.  
  
"Y-yes M-master," Peter said. He was so close to crying that it was absurd. He was such a coward! He was surely going to be killed.  
  
"Wormtail," Voldemort began and then paused. "Request denied," he said and brought his wand out from within his robes and pointed it at Peter.  
  
Peter's eyes grew wide as he looked down Voldemort's wand. "P-please don't k-kill me!" Peter squealed tears spilling over onto his cheeks.  
  
"I'm not that merciful and you're still of use to me. The only way I will allow you to leave is if Potter kicks you out. Now remember you are my spy and you will do as I say without question or face the consequences," Voldemort hissed angrily.  
  
"C-consequences?" Peter asked fearfully.  
  
"Pain beyond imagination," Voldemort said and then shouted, "CRUCIO!" and Peter's screams of pain mingled with Voldemort's madman like laughter until Peter passed out and Voldemort looked down upon the rat. "And that is what one gets when they don't follow orders," Voldemort said as several Death Eaters slunk out of the shadows, not all of them, just Lucius Malfoy, The Lestranges, Rookwood, Avery, Nott, Crabbe and Goyle along with a new recruit who was being shown the 'ropes'. "Leave him there, he will wake eventually," Voldemort cackled and disappeared the Death Eater's following in his wake.  
  
Peter lay unconscious for at least two hours before he woke screaming until he realized Voldemort had left him. Peter sat up shakily and cried for a while before checking to see that he wasn't hurt any further then the Cruciatus Curse. When he was sure of that he went back to London, found himself a public restroom and cleaned himself up before returning to Godric's Hollow and hoping that he wouldn't be questioned about his dreadful appearance.  
  
A/N: Alright ladies and gents, tell me how you liked that chapter and I will give you a present, another update! Sorry, I'm fishing for reviews at the moment because I'm sure everyone hates me for not updating in ages. Hope you liked this chapter! ~Frankie~ 


	48. An Accordance At Dinner

Authors Note: Hello my lovelies! Sorry again about the delay in updating, I'm trying I really am. No major announcements from me. Though, throughout April updating might be a problem for me as I'll be changing residences sometime in the near future and I'm not sure how internet access will be. So, please be patient with me around then, I know I'm a pain as an author. O_o... so here are the thanks I give:  
  
Don Raphiel- Thank you, and yes it is okay.  
  
MarauderFan4ever- You're suspicious of Catherine? Well, you're not the only one, I am too sometimes. Thank you for your review.  
  
Captain Oblivious- O_O I forgot the boggart. Crap. Okay, the boggart has dropped off the face of the planet... It will eventually return. I think. On behalf of Catherine, I will state, that she is heterosexual.  
  
LJstagflower4e/JCtigerwolf4e- I'm sorry that you'd almost lost hope of another update. I will try to make them more frequent. I was getting used to my new school.  
  
Kristatwen- Thank you.  
  
ZzSheilahzZ- Thanks, this is when I can. ^_^  
  
Dee Ann- I actually reread the chapter and saw that and saw your review again for the thank yous and thought it would be fun. It made yeh laugh so I smile ^_^  
  
Lady Arwen Gryffindor- I am sorry. I cannot say whether Miss Catherine is a Death Eater or not. She might be. She might not be. It's rather crucial to the plot. It's like J.K. explaining why Voldie and Harry survived the curse out of a book, would make reading it pointless. Just let your imagination run with it. You'll see eventually. I promise.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- *hides from butcher knife* Er... is this soon? *runs*  
  
Banny- Thanks, I'm glad you did.  
  
Luvhp224- Yes, my lovely mysteries, aren't they grand? I may eventually explain them, I'm not sure. I'm glad you enjoyed it.  
  
Mel- Of course I knew that Arabella is a squib and couldn't possibly be good at Charms. I started this fic before I read OotP and so some things are not canon.  
  
Tez- Sorry. I will be writing as canonically as possible, including their deaths. If that disappoints you, I'm sorry. I knew when I started this fic they would die. I will be just as sad as you when I have to kill them.  
  
Lillia Evans- You didn't bore me. I'm glad to hear that my story was able to convince you it was good. I hope that when you're in Japan you'll be able to finish reading as well. Good luck in the Navy and you'll have to wait and see what faces Lily in the future.  
  
Taniita- *sighs* I know about the time problem. It's rather horrible I know. I just kept writing and writing not realizing that I hadn't skipped weeks or anything, I'm bad at that. And you'll have to wait and see about Catherine.  
  
Sissy-6- Okay. O_o. I'm confused. But that's okay. Thanks for reading.  
  
Me- You inspired me to finish typing up this chapter. Be glad. And the next chapter sort of paves a way, but there is still a bit of a wait for togetherness.  
  
Unperfection- You're dreading that are you? Well... O_o... I wouldn't know if friends of one person getting together with the friends of their significant other happen... It depends entirely on situations I would say, which are peculiar in my story, so you'll have to wait and see. I'm glad you think this story is "fantablulous" anyway.  
  
MegHarts- I hate him too. And so do I.  
  
Re- Thank you, I'm glad you think its original and I'm trying to keep it up.  
  
Chapter Forty-Eight: An Accordance at Dinner  
  
Upstairs Lily sat down on her bed and waited for Catherine to join her. "What was that comment about?" Lily asked curiously.  
  
Catherine sighed wistfully. "I don't know, it just felt right to say I guess," she said quietly and hoped that it couldn't be told that she was lying through her teeth.  
  
Lily raised an eyebrow. "You're lying Catherine," she said quietly.  
  
Catherine sighed again. "You'll think I'm crazy," she said quietly trying to stall.  
  
"Catherine, I swear to you I won't," Lily said and placed a hand on Catherine's.  
  
"Alright, but you've got to swear to me that you won't tell anyone. Not a single soul," Catherine said anxiously knowing what she was going to say was the only thing that she truly cherished.  
  
"You have my word," Lily said slowly and watched Catherine intently.  
  
Catherine nodded and resigned herself to what she had to do and began to speak. Slowly but surely the words came out and felt extremely relieved. Catherine sighed in her immense relief. The words were finally out after what felt like months of struggling to keep them to herself, she had finally cracked.  
  
"I'm glad you believed me," Catherine said when Lily released her from a hug.  
  
"I'm glad you told me. C'mon let's go and see what I can scrounge up for dinner," Lily said as the shock of Catherine's revelation wore off.  
  
They climbed off the bed and clattered down the stairs to the kitchen where they found James, Remus and Sirius drinking tea and eating packaged cookies at the table.  
  
(A/N: Sorry to bother you in the middle of a chapter, but I have to give this note before the next bit. When I wrote this, I had only seen the movie Don Juan DeMarco with Johnny Depp, since then I have found the book it was based upon, Don Juan by Lord Byron and I only managed to finish half of it. So, I am going to keep most of it, though it is extremely inaccurate from what SparkNotes.com says, and you can all pretend I'm not a moron alright? Lovely.)  
  
In the kitchen James made tea and got out some cookies he knew existed in the pantry. "Who knows how long the girls' moment will take. You'll have to survive on cookies until they're done," James said and smiled at Sirius in a joking manner.  
  
"Ha ha," Sirius said and seemed to be uninterested in the cookies until his stomach growled demandingly. "Oh hand 'em over," Sirius said and James tossed him the cookies and laughed with Remus about Sirius' predictable stomach.  
  
"Oh bite me," Sirius said with his mouth full of cookie.  
  
"Nah, I believe that's Bella's job," Remus said and batted his eyes at Sirius in a ladylike manner.  
  
James laughed loudly for a moment before Sirius' glare took effect. "Anyways, what are you two planning to be for that costume ball?" James asked to change the subject.  
  
"I know who I'm going to be but it's a secret," Sirius said after he swallowed and his eyes flashed mischievously.  
  
James rolled his eyes. "Who? Don Juan?" James asked in a bored voice.  
  
"Who?" Sirius asked confused.  
  
"The world's greatest lover," James said in a seductive tone as Lily and Catherine came into the kitchen.  
  
Lily raised an eyebrow at James. "Who are you talking about?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Me!" Sirius cried out and everyone burst into hysterical laughter. "What?" he questioned looking wounded.  
  
"You don't exactly fit the criteria," Lily replied trying to stop laughing.  
  
"What's the supposed criteria?" Sirius asked curiously.  
  
"Well, the worlds greatest lover is Don Juan, he made love to over one thousand women before the age of twenty-one," Lily replied in an amused voice.  
  
"Oh," Sirius said.  
  
"He also, I believe, seduced many of them and anyone he chose fell under his 'spell'," James said sounding amused as well.  
  
"Oh," Sirius said again and refrained from looking directly at Catherine who was still chuckling to herself.  
  
"How about I make dinner and you go show Sirius the book James," Lily said quietly with an amused look on her face.  
  
James stood up and brought Sirius towards the door throwing an arm over his shoulders. "C'mon mate," James said and their footsteps gradually died away.  
  
"Now why did Don Juan become the topic of conversation?" Lily asked Remus who was still at the table smiling broadly.  
  
"The costume ball," Remus replied with a smile. "James asked what we're going as. Sirius was trying to get us to guess what his idea was but James said something about Don Juan and Sirius asked who he was and you two came in to hear James' response," Remus said and glanced at Catherine.  
  
"One would think James had sex on the brain," Catherine replied in a bored tone.  
  
Remus shook his head. "I think you'll have to read the book as well," he replied with a smirk.  
  
"Maybe," Catherine said and smirked back. Lily smiled to herself as she began to plan a meal in her head as she looked in the pantry.  
  
There was a loud thunk in the entrance hall and James cried out, "Peter! Are you alright?"  
  
Lily, Catherine and Remus dashed out of the kitchen to the entrance hall where James and Sirius were crouched over Peter's semiconscious body. "Oh my!" Lily gasped and her hand covered her wide open mouth.  
  
"Peter, what happened?" James asked quickly checking Peter for wounds.  
  
"I-I'm fine," Peter managed to choke out. "I-I think it's stress," he said as he tried to steady his breathing. He'd apparated to Godric's Hollow and promptly collapsed, all of his energy sapped.  
  
"We'd better get him into bed, he needs rest," Lily said and James and Sirius helped Peter up the stairs. "I'll go make him some soup," she said and rushed back into the kitchen to do so.  
  
Catherine and Remus exchanged glances quickly before Catherine followed Lily and Remus headed up the stairs after James, Sirius and Peter.  
  
Upstairs Peter was trying to get James and Sirius off him saying, "I can do it myself."  
  
James and Sirius exchanged looks. "Peter you're not well, you need our help," James said quietly as Peter struggled against their hands and Remus came along the hallway.  
  
"I'm fine!" Peter cried out before his legs collapsed beneath him and James and Sirius grunted with the effort to pull him back up.  
  
"You're not fine! Just let us get you into your room and then you can gripe about it," Sirius said angrily as they finished getting Peter down the hall and into his room.  
  
They sat Peter down on his bed and James said, "Alright, you're in bed. Now will you tell us what happened?" James asked looking rather concerned. Sirius looked frustrated and Remus just looked curious.  
  
"Nothing! I had funeral things to check on and my parents aren't going to be there. I have to talk to all these people my Gran knew and listen to them all tell me how great and wonderful she was and feel sick to my stomach because its my fault she's dead!" Peter raged his voice taking on a high pitched edge.  
  
James, Sirius and Remus watched as Peter raged, his cheeks flushed and his eyes too bright in their sockets. He looked fanatical, like a muggle televangelist trying to convince the non-believers of the 'truth'.  
  
"Peter, its not your fault she's dead. It's Voldemort's and his sick, twisted schemes," Sirius said and Peter winced at the use of the name. Sirius sighed. "Lily is making you soup, you can get some rest and you'll be fine tomorrow," he said gently and Peter just nodded.  
  
Lily and Catherine came into the room. Lily was carrying a tray table with a bowl of soup and a tea kettle on it. "Lie down and get settled Peter," Lily said gently as she set the tray on the bedside table to wait for Peter to lie back.  
  
"Lily you don't have to do this," Peter said meekly as she looked at the soup and felt guilty.  
  
"Don't be silly. You need someone to look after you and I'm happy to do it. So get comfortable and then you can eat and rest to get your strength back," Lily said kindly and pat Peter gently on the shoulder.  
  
Peter sighed and said, "Alright, thank you Lily." He sighed again as he kicked off his shoes and got comfortable.  
  
"You're welcome," Lily said and smiled as she picked up the tray and placed it carefully over Peter's lap. "I'll come check on you when we're done with dinner downstairs Peter. You just rest and try not to worry about anything," Lily said and smiled again before turning to leave the room after James, Sirius, Remus and Catherine.  
  
"That was odd," Catherine said as they walked down the stairs to the kitchen.  
  
"Extremely," Remus said quietly as Lily rushed ahead of the group to the kitchen.  
  
"What are you planning for dinner?" Sirius asked eagerly as Lily edged past him.  
  
Lily smiled sweetly and said, "You'll see," before walking into the kitchen and beginning to prepare dinner. James, Sirius, Remus and Catherine sat down at the table and held idle conversation while watching Lily work.  
  
"So, what are you planning to go as for the costume ball?" Catherine asked of the table.  
  
Remus raised an eyebrow. "We've only found out this morning, aren't we allowed some time to think on it?" he asked blandly.  
  
"Of course you are, I was just looking for something to talk about dear Remy," Catherine responded lightheartedly.  
  
"Alright then, who are you planning to go as?" Sirius asked interested in Catherine's response.  
  
"I don't know, maybe a Gryffindor," Catherine said and laughed at the shocked looks on their faces. "Just kidding! I would have thought you'd recognize a joke when you saw one," she said and noted Lily shaking her head smiling.  
  
Sirius smirked and said, "You know, the maroon and gold would bring out the highlights in your hair."  
  
James, Remus, Lily and Catherine all looked at him with something between amusement and horror. "Are you changing sides on us Padfoot?" James asked and fluttered his eye lashes in a womanly manner.  
  
Sirius laughed loudly. "Oh yes Jamie-poo! I thought it was time we made our affair public," she said and made a smooching noise at James.  
  
Lily snorted with laughter at this proclamation and sunk on to the floor her laughter turning to hiccups while the quartet sitting at the table just stared at her. Soon her laughter turned to giggles and she stopped hiccupping looking over at them. "That was interesting," Catherine stated trying to keep herself from laughing out right. She failed and soon the whole table was laughing about Lily laughing.  
  
"I seem to be interrupting," a voice called out from the door and all eyes turned to see Arabella standing there looking thoroughly unamused.  
  
"Hey Bella," Sirius called out jovially and walked over to her kissing her on the cheek.  
  
Arabella just glared at Catherine. "How long have you been here Mcgeogehegan?" she asked blandly even though her eyes and body language betrayed her annoyance.  
  
"Since about seven this morning," Catherine replied with a smirk.  
  
"Really? And why is that?" Arabella asked impatience coming through in the tone of her voice.  
  
"To talk to Lily, why else would I come here? To ravish Sirius perhaps?" Catherine said and smiled in what could be taken as an evil way.  
  
Lily growled audibly. "Do I have to make up a bloody visitation schedule or are you two going to be civilized?" she asked her eyes glowing making Catherine shift in her seat and Arabella cross her arms over her chest. "I'm sick of you both fighting and sniping at each other!" Lily exclaimed and whipped around to finish cooking.  
  
Catherine smiled as if struck with an idea. "How about James' house is neutral ground? If we're both here we ignore each other unless absolutely necessary and we can 'snipe' at each other in other venues," Catherine said in a bored voice watching Arabella carefully.  
  
Arabella's thoughts were conflicting and she wanted to say, 'How about you just leave?' but knew Lily would probably turn around and shout at her to do the same. "Fine," Arabella said and her eyes shifted to look at Sirius and then back to Catherine who was now smiling broadly.  
  
"Wonderful," Catherine said in a far too chipper voice before she turned away from Arabella and looked at Remus who was sitting across the table from her.  
  
"Good, now you can either sit down and have dinner with us or go," Lily said her annoyance still prevalent in her voice and her body language.  
  
"I actually just came here to check on Peter's arm. Is he here?" Arabella asked, quickly lying to cover up the fact that she had come to see Sirius.  
  
"He's upstairs resting," Lily said her voice loosing its edge and her shoulders loosening in a release of tension.  
  
"Resting?" Arabella asked wondering if Peter's cut had worsened.  
  
"Stress," Lily said simply and shrugged her shoulders repetitively to release her nerves.  
  
"Oh well, I'll go have a look at him and head home," Arabella said and turned to go.  
  
Sirius looked at Arabella's retreating back and the kitchen full of people watching. "I'll be right back," he said and hurried after Arabella whose footsteps could be heard on the stairs.  
  
Catherine let out a breath. "I really dislike fighting with that girl," she said aloud.  
  
"Then why do you?" Remus asked quietly looking at her.  
  
"Because she seems to think I'm trying to seduce Sirius when I have no feelings of that sort toward him. If she would get over her insecurities about me and him she wouldn't have such a problem with my being friends with Lily," Catherine replied honestly and sighed. "Sirius and I are friends and only friends. I don't see what's wrong with that," she said quietly and looked into Remus' eyes as if he knew the answer.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with you and Sirius being friends, just as there nothing wrong with you and Lily being friends," James spoke up for the first time since Arabella arrived.  
  
Lily looked over her shoulder at James and smiled warmly mouthing to him, "Thank you," to which he nodded and smiled back.  
  
"Dinner is almost ready, someone should tell Sirius," Lily said before she started getting dishes down from the cupboards.  
  
"Let me help you with that," Catherine said standing up and carrying dishes to the table and setting them out.  
  
"Thanks," Lily said and went back to tending the meal cooking on the stove.  
  
"I'll go tell Sirius," James said and stood up walking from the kitchen upstairs to find Sirius.  
  
"Arabella, wait a second," Sirius called out as he climbed the stairs after her. She'd stopped just outside Peter's room. "What is the real reason you came here tonight?" he asked quietly.  
  
"To see you," Arabella said calmly as she took a deep breath.  
  
"Why did you lie downstairs then?" Sirius asked quietly.  
  
"I didn't want to give her anymore ammunition against me," Arabella said simply. "I just can't believe Lily took her side," she said angrily.  
  
Sirius stared at Arabella with eyebrows raised in astonishment. "Lily wasn't on Catherine's side or your own. She was neutral to the argument and is just annoyed because all you two ever do is fight. It does get rather annoying and redundant after a while," he said quickly and hoped that Arabella wouldn't shout at him too.  
  
Arabella closed her eyes and tired to keep from shouting at Sirius and possibly waking Peter. Just then James came up the stairs. "Dinner is almost ready, Lily sent me up to tell you," he said quickly before turning and going back downstairs.  
  
The interruption gave Arabella time to compose herself. "I'm going to check on Peter, you can go down and eat," she said and watched Sirius carefully.  
  
Sirius sighed. "Alright, just think about what I said. I'll see you tomorrow at Wilhelmina's funeral," he said and turned back down the hall and disappeared down the stairs a moment later.  
  
Arabella knocked on Peter's door. "Come in," Peter's voiced called out and she opened the door. "Bella? I thought you were Lily," he said when he saw Arabella enter.  
  
"I came over to take a look at your arm. I just want to make sure it's healing correctly," Arabella said and smiled sitting on the bed next to Peter as he rolled up his right sleeve for Arabella to examine. She undid the bandage and looked at the cut which had scabbed almost completely over. Peter winced. "Sorry," Arabella said kingly. "It seems to be just fine, I'll check it again tomorrow,' she said and resecured the bandage with a spell.  
  
"Thank you," Peter said quietly.  
  
"No problem. You just feel better and get some rest. Goodnight Peter," Arabella said and smiled before walking out of the room and downstairs before apparating back to her home.  
  
A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter is confusing. *smiles innocently* I shall eventually reveal such things as they are needed, but you can ask away and you will not get a clue of it. I'm being cryptic! Love you all, keep reading, reviewing and waiting for my updates as they will come. ~Frankie~ 


	49. Dinner & Dreams

Author's Note: I'm terribly sorry for the extremely long delay. I'm a horrible author for not finding some way of updating. sighs Okay, I will give you an update on my 'condition'. I've moved in with my friend to finish school. My parents separated, blah, blah, blah, and on weekends I'm with my dad so I have access to the computer. So, as long as I remember my notebook I can update on the weekends. Please, no sympathy for the whole parents thing, I'm alright, and I have tons of material to type up so you all will only have to wait till weekends. Now, on to the huge list of thank yous:  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- heh, nice knife, I imagine you'll be using it now. Sorry for so long a delay.  
  
Unperfection- I'm terribly sorry, but I shant be able to decrypt that for a while. So, just let your mind think on it and you might be able to come up with the right answer. I'm glad you still think its "fantabulous!"  
  
Captain Oblivious- Congratulations on getting to go to school in Canada, and you're very right; Sirius is no Don Juan. cackles  
  
Don Raphiel- Bella & Sirius having a huge argument? I don't have any idea what you're talking about. whistles  
  
True-starlight-blue- Thank you for the boost to my ego, heh. I'm glad you enjoyed it and thought it was excellent.  
  
She Devil- Peter is a scummer isn't he, lol. I do agree that it was pretty appropriate. I'm glad you loved it; it makes me happy and want to write more and get more updates up.  
  
Manny2003- Thanks... and this was ASAP. Sorry that it took so long though.  
  
Sissy-6- You'll see what Catherine's secret is eventually. cackles Good luck trying to guess though.  
  
Luvhp224- smirks Well, I guess you will have to wait and see now won't you? Heh. I'm hoping pretty soon too, but I can't remember as it's been so long since I've been though my notebooks. Yeh might have to wait quite a while.  
  
LadyLorien142- I'm glad you like the plot and the characters as well. Heh. I wasn't sure that this being an AU that it would go off well but it has and I'm very glad.  
  
LJstagflower4e/JCtigerwolf4e- Thank you. Er. I cannot remember where the bit with the boggart comes in. I completely forgot but I don't think it's until the next notebook. Which is just bleh for you huh? My school is pretty good. Not so much homework and everything is much less stressful, so now that my moving insanity is completely I'll be able to update more. Especially when my roommate prods me into doing so. Johnny Depp does rock doesn't he? cackles  
  
MegHarts- Poor Peteykins? Have you lost your mind? He needs to be kicked in the ass. Don't worry, Bella will get her just rewards soon enough.  
  
Oorjit- I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm sorry about the delay in putting this chapter up.  
  
Senshioftime- I'm glad you liked it and though the previous chapters were excellent. Hopefully at some point in time I'll get around to editing the errors. Oo.  
  
Lillia Evans- I hope that Japan is satisfactory and that the trip was good. And I'm terribly sorry about the delay but at least its not 4 freaking years. coughs Um, right. I hope you like this chapter. 10 minutes for a dollar? I seriously hope you read fast as I'll feel horrible if you go broke trying to read my story.  
  
Pingpong5- Thanks. You have a very interesting name. Oo  
  
xxGREEN BAYxx- I'm glad. And I'm also glad you think Sirius is funny. By the way, are you from Wisconsin?  
  
Sploogal- I'm sorry that the discovery of my fic led you astray from your essay. Oo. I hope you finished it... and in a way I'm glad my story was captivating enough to capture your attention. Whee! You used some of my favorite words: interesting, original, unique. Wahahaha!  
  
Spunx182- I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for the review & I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
Akirel35- I'm terribly sorry for so long of a wait for this chapter. I apologize profusely and hope for your forgiveness. And its okay about the yelling, I completely understand with my horribly updating skills.  
  
Emerald- Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.  
  
Lindiel Eryn- Yes, it was and I'm terribly sorry about that. Hopefully, with any luck, I'll be able to update every weekend, at least once. Thank you for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed my story.  
  
MischievousAngel- Yes, yes, he should be shot. If I had any power over my story, I would shoot him, but alas, I cannot.  
  
Hawaiian-sling-babe- the dark mark is on the left forearm. I checked numerous times to be sure, unless J.K. switched things around. Thank you for the great review.  
  
Lydia Boyle- Heh. I love addicting people it is so very fun. And your mother is too? cackles I'm feeling very spiffeh. Thank you very much for your review. It made my day and it made me make sure I update, so be proud.  
  
Sour-peach- My AU is fascinating. I still don't know everything about it, but I'm trying. Make Bella's attitude better? Alas, once a character is in my mind they stay how they are. It is very strange. I wish I could kill Peter in the next chapter, but you'll see what happens after this chapter. Go read already, I shouldn't write so much and keep you away. I'm glad you enjoyed it though, and I hope you keep doing so.

All right. That's done. Now, get to reading, or I shall send... someone after you. Oo. I hope you all enjoy it and don't forget to read the note at the bottom.

Chapter Forty-Nine: Dinner and Dreams  
  
James came back to the kitchen shortly after leaving just as Lily was dishing out dinner. "I think Sirius is on his way," James said as he sat down and moments later Sirius came in the door smiling grimly.  
  
"Will Bella be joining us?" Lily asked out of respect and the possibility of needing another place setting.  
  
"No, she's just seeing to Peter and then going home," Sirius said as he sat down next to Remus.  
  
Lily nodded briefly and finished giving everyone a healthy portion of spaghetti. She sighed and sat down herself. She had a tension headache and really just wanted to climb the stairs and go to bed. "How long will you be staying Catherine?" James asked conversationally.  
  
"I'll probably head home after dinner," Catherine said as she glanced at Lily out of the corner of her eye. The redhead was eating slowly and she closed her eyes frequently as if to block out the light. "Unless Lily wishes that I stay," she said slowly.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, its okay, you can go if you like," Lily said distractedly, she'd barely heard what Catherine was saying.  
  
Catherine nodded and shot a look at James that said, "She's stressed. She needs rest and relaxation," and James nodded back as if acknowledging the situation and deciding to remedy it.  
  
The rest of dinner was a subdued affair. Lily received complements on her cooking as usual and the next twenty minutes passed slowly. "Lily, would you like help with the dishes?" James asked as everyone finished.  
  
"Hmm? Oh no, it's alright. I can manage," Lily said quietly and James was now determined to help her or send her off to bed; whichever he could manage first.  
  
When Lily stood so did Catherine. "You get some rest okay? I'll swing by in a couple days to talk about that potion," Catherine said and gave Lily a quick hug at which Sirius raised an eyebrow and Catherine stuck out her tongue in a childish manner to reply.  
  
"Okay, goodnight Catherine," Lily said and smiled after returning the hug.  
  
"Goodnight Lily, guys," Catherine said and nodded her head briefly before apparating to her home in Ireland.  
  
Lily sighed as she'd just now realized that she could use Catherine to talk to for a little bit. She sighed again and began to gather plates from the table. "Wait a second," Sirius said before she could grab his glass, he grabbed it and finished off his drink. Lily smiled obligingly and finished gathering the dishes and carrying them to the sink.  
  
James shot a look at Remus and Sirius who said at once, "We'll be in the library," before pushing back their chairs and practically stampeding for the doorway. James chuckled lightly and Lily turned away from the sink to look at him.  
  
"I thought you'd gone with them," Lily said as she looked over her shoulder. She didn't have the presence of mind to notice how James was looking at her and so she turned back to the dishes, but how she looked in that moment would become imprinted in James' memory and subject to later imaginings.  
  
James couldn't help what he felt just then looking into her sleepy green eyes accented by miles of long red hair that fell into her face giving off a vibe of innocence that was positively spellbinding. James blinked several times and cleared his mind of the thoughts that had taken hold in that brief moment and said, "Why don't you let me take care of the dishes tonight?"  
  
Lily paused and looked back at James with furrowed brows. "Why?" she asked curiously.  
  
"You look like you could use a little break from things and my way would be much quicker," James said and smiled in a friendly manner waiting hopefully for her to say yes. When she didn't he said. "You can sit down and watch to make sure they get clean. I promise you there is nothing to worry about."  
  
Lily was very tempted by James' words and also too tired to make a protest either. She dried her hands on a towel and walked over to the table after sighing and saying, "All right." She sat down and James and pulled his wand from his pocket muttering a few spells.  
  
By the time the dishes had all been washed, dried and put away, Lily was half asleep in her seat. James smiled and picked her up in his arms delicately. "James, what are you doing?" Lily questioned with her eyes barely opened.  
  
"Carrying you upstairs as you're about to pass out completely," James said as he maneuvered up the stairs carefully so he wouldn't bang her head on the wall.  
  
"I can walk James," Lily said and yawned as her arm looped around his shoulders brushing past the short hairs on his neck causing him to shiver.  
  
"I know you can Lily, but it's much easier this way," James said quietly as he opened the door at the top of the stairs and entered the dark room. He flicked on the switch by the door and Lily hid her face from the light by nuzzling against his neck. James was beginning to think carrying Lily up the stairs was a mistake; one he would dearly pay for when he went to sleep.  
  
James gently lowered Lily onto the bed and asked, "Where are your..." he trailed off. She was already asleep; her eyes closed, black lashes resting peacefully on pale skin lit by a dim light near the door. Her red hair was falling in unorganized grace around her shoulders and face, a few strands falling across her cheek that James couldn't help but brush away before rearranging her gently to pull back the sheets before removing her shoes and placing her gently back on the bed and smoothing the covers over her. He watched as a serene smile played on her lips; lips that James hadn't really noticed to look kissable and soft until just that moment. Realizing his precarious situation, James ever so gently brushed a kiss on her forehead and whispered, "Goodnight Lily," before he turned away from her walking towards the door back to the kitchen and flicking of the light making the room shrouded in darkness.  
  
James looked back over his shoulder and saw Lily bathed in moonlight making her look even more innocent then before. He sighed aloud and turned to go just as Lily whispered, "Goodnight James." He smiled and walked silently down the stairs wishing he didn't have to leave her before he walked back into the kitchen and headed to the library.  
  
James found Remus alone reading in his usual chair, curled up in his usual way. "Where's Sirius?" James asked quietly upon his entrance.  
  
"He went to sleep," Remus replied before looking up from his book. "Where's Lily?" he asked.  
  
"Out like a light. She passed out on a chair in the kitchen while I did the dishes," James said quietly as he sat down in a chair across from Remus.  
  
"Really," Remus said with an amused smile on his face.  
  
"Yes really," James said and rolled his eyes at Remus.  
  
"Did you tuck her into bed?" Remus asked with a wink.  
  
"Did you and Sirius switch bodies?" James asked sarcastically.  
  
"Never answer a question with a question, it signifies that you've got something to hide," Remus said blandly.  
  
"Pretty much everything signifies that you've got something to hide, especially in this group, but I think I'll remember that," James responded as he leaned back in his chair slightly to relax a bit. "What about you?" James asked as if his question were as clear as day.  
  
"Did I tuck Lily into bed? I think not dear Prongs, that isn't my job," Remus said smartly as he closed his book.  
  
James rolled his eyes. "Funny. No, I'm talking about Catherine," he said and watched Remus raise an eyebrow.  
  
"What about her?" Remus asked and looked speculatively at James.  
  
"In the parlor before dinner I could have sworn I saw something between you two," James said and leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees.  
  
"I honestly do not know what you're talking about James," Remus said as his cheeks colored slightly.  
  
"So you do like her. What are you going to do about it?" James asked with a smile.  
  
"There's nothing to do James," Remus said and sighed.  
  
"What do you mean nothing to do? Of course there is!" James protested.  
  
"No there isn't. I can't date her because if she found out I'm a werewolf it would be like all the other times when they knew I was hiding something and I wouldn't tell them. She'd run," Remus said sadly looking at James. "I've given up on finding any one who could deal with that James, and its not fair to ask anyone to deal with it," he said as the conversation dredged up memories of girls blowing him off because he tired telling them and they thought that he was a liar.  
  
"Maybe Catherine's different Moony, maybe she deserves a chance before you write her off," James said as politely as possible but Remus just shook his head.  
  
"Not happening Prongs, I'm not putting myself out on that kind of limb, I don't need anymore pain at this point," Remus said and sighed wistfully.  
  
"All right Remus," James said resigning himself to the fact that Remus was so bull-headed about being a werewolf that any chance of him daring to tell Catherine was about as good as Albus Dumbledore inviting Voldemort out for tea.  
  
"I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning for the funeral," Remus said quietly as he stood up and made his way out of the library.  
  
"Goodnight Moony," James called out.  
  
"Goodnight Prongs," Remus said and then disappeared from sight.  
  
James soon made his way up to bed after switching off lights and locking the front door as he went. As he passed Sirius' door he heard his friend snoring and sighed quietly as he opened the door to his room. It was dark and James was tired but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep; visions of Lily would be dancing inside his head while Moody's words were to accompany the visions. But to James' utter surprise he fell asleep quickly but thoughts of Lily followed him there...  
  
_James was sitting on a beach and it was slightly chilly with the wind blowing in off the ocean and the fact that he wasn't wearing a coat. With the crashing of the water against the sand James didn't hear footsteps until a shadow fell across him and he looked up. Lily was standing there looking out at the waves her hair flowing backwards in the strong wind, a smile on her face. "It's beautiful isn't it?" her voice called out to him and he reached up and placed a hand in hers.  
  
"Sit with me," James said and she looked down at him, a look coming across her face that made James' heart beat rapidly in his chest.  
  
Lily sat next to him and he wrapped an arm around her and drew her close. "You didn't answer my question," Lily said with a smile playing on her lips.  
  
"It is quite beautiful but it doesn't compete with you darling," James said and made to kiss her but she pulled away and stood up walking away from him without a word. "Lily!?" James cried out and got to his feet, quickly following her. She started running, faster and faster as if the sand didn't matter beneath her feet while James tripped and stumbled trying to catch up to her. Soon she was in a grassy meadow near the cliffs still running from James as he struggled to catch up. When he got to the grass his pace picked up and he caught up to her just as she reached the edge of the cliff and stopped turning to face him.  
  
James, breathing heavy, barely managed to ask, "Why are you running from me Lily?" She didn't respond audibly, she just looked at him with her serene smile and stepped backward off the edge as James dove to stop her and landed where she'd been standing. He looked down as she fell further and further away from him until she hit the ocean surface and was swallowed up by its crashing waves and the whole time James was screaming, "NO!!" -------  
_  
"James wake up," Lily's voice drew him out of his nightmare and his eyes popped open looking at her. It was daylight and Lily was showered and dressed in black slacks with a black sleeveless shirt, her hair pulled back into a tight pony tail as if to keep it from drawing too much attention to her. Lily's expression changed when James' eyes popped wide open. "What's wrong James?" she asked and sat on the edge of the bed feeling his forehead, which was covered in sweat, in a motherly manner. "Are you feeling all right?" she asked in a concerned voice.  
  
"I'm fine, just a dream," James said as he propped himself up so he was sitting upright.  
  
"You're sure?" Lily asked as she reached up to feel his forehead again and James took her hand in his.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine Lily. You don't have to worry," James aid smiled despite the memory of his dream and fighting the urge to envelope Lily in the fiercest hug imaginable.  
  
Lily looked skeptical but she sighed and said, "Okay. Breakfast is waiting downstairs. Everyone else is up and Bella's here. You shower and get dressed, eat and you'll feel much better," she smiled at him warmly and stood up walking toward the door.  
  
"What time is it?" James asked before she could leave.  
  
"Just after eight; the funeral isn't until ten," Lily said before opening the door and walking out closing it behind her and heading down to the kitchen.  
  
James climbed out of bed and found that his knees were weak and could barely support him. "Get a grip! It was just a bloody dream!" James said aloud but found that the image of Lily falling to her death from that cliff wouldn't get out of his head and was there whenever he closed his eyes. James got up and walked to the shower carefully and cleaned himself up before dressing and heading downstairs.  
  
A/N: Okay, I know this was a short chapter, but it couldn't be helped as I couldn't really start the next bit without making this two chapters long... which I know you all would have loved. But you'll have to deal. I'll try to type stuff during the week and then come here and update but I cannot guarantee the likelihood of that... so I hope this tides you over until next weekend as I'm sure the chapter will be longer.  
  
Next time: Peter's Gran's Funeral and other insanity that you will just have to wait and see.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW and give comments or flames or what not, suggestions if you have any and I'll get back to you in the next chapter.  
  
Frankie


	50. The Funeral of Wilhelmina Pettigrew

Author's Note: Alright boys & girls, I saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban last night and so I'm in the mood for a little update. It was good by the way, but there are some things that are missing that shouldn't have been. stabs Alfonso Curion But anyways, on to the thank yous so you all can get to reading eh?  
  
Manny2003- Well, as far as those two dear and darling characters go you will just have to and see. I have things in store for both of them, you shall be the judge of whether they're good or bad.  
  
Ljstagflower4e/Jctigerwolf4e- You gave up on me huh? sobs That makes me sad. sniffles  
  
Lady Arwen Gryffindor- I actually cannot remember when Lily & James get together, so we're both going to have to wait and see. You still believe Catherine to be a Death Eater eh? I'm amused by that, but I'm considering the idea myself. It sounds interesting, does it not?  
  
Captain Oblivious- I'm sorry about the terribly long wait but it couldn't be helped. watches as Peter falls I wonder if I'll be able to force some sympathy out of people for Peter.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- Very crazy dream. Voldie attack a funeral... that's a fair idea. Hmm. Well you won't need the chainsaw dear and hopefully this chapter's length will make you keep it put away. Hehe. coughs  
  
Dancingsparkler8- It is indeed summer and I will try to update more frequently as it progresses but I'm still in school till the 10th. So be patient if you please.   
  
Spunx182- I can't honestly remember and I'm not even sure whether I've written it. Remus does deserve happiness but alas, that is a long way off yet.  
  
Akire135- Thanks and you're welcome for the update.  
  
Lindiel Eryn- Hmm, its quite possible that it did mean something. I guess you will just have to wait and see eh?  
  
I was going to wait until I got more reviews to put this up, but then I thought about the people I'd be disappointing if I didn't put it up today. So, enjoy the next chapter and don't forget to review and tell me what you think.  
  
Frankie   
  
Chapter Fifty: The Funeral of Wilhelmina Pettigrew  
  
Lily walked into the kitchen where Peter, Sirius, Remus and Arabella were seated talking over coffee and English muffins. "So, did he wake up for you?" Sirius asked when Lily entered, the heels of her black boots clicking on the hardwood floor.  
  
"Yes, though he looked as if somebody had died when he opened his eyes," Lily said without thinking and Peter coughed choking on his breakfast. Lily winced, "Sorry Peter, I meant someone else," she said looking apologetic.  
  
"It's okay," Peter said once he stopped coughing and Sirius had whacked him on the back a time or two.  
  
Sirius shook his head. "James was out cold when I went in there and for a moment I thought he was dead but he was breathing," Sirius said still shaking his head in astonishment.  
  
"No offense meant Peter, but this is the first time James has slept longer then you," Remus said and looked to be considering the point.  
  
"I jumped on his bed and he still wouldn't wake," Sirius muttered with his brow furrowed as if thinking.  
  
"You'd think someone had given him the Draught of Living Death," Lily said slowly as the others looked at her curiously.  
  
"Reading or remembering?" Remus asked gently.  
  
"I think its a little of both actually. Is there a teacher at Hogwarts, a woman, blonde with an interesting looking cat?" Lily asked with her eyes closed picturing her perfectly in her mind.  
  
"Yeah," Sirius said with a scowl. "Henderson, she hated us because we always caused trouble in her class," he said and laughed.  
  
"I remember she once threatened to slip us some of that if we didn't behave," Remus said quietly with a small smile on his face.  
  
"You behaved after that," Lily said mildly and Remus nodded.  
  
"Or at least most of the time," Sirius said as Arabella shook her head.  
  
"I have a question, how are we all getting to the funeral?" Lily asked quietly looking at Peter.  
  
"The funeral is being held in London but I arranged for a portkey to be set up in James' backyard," Sirius said when Peter looked horrorstruck. "Owing to the fact that you my dear Lily cannot apparate just yet," he said and Peter sighed in relief.  
  
"I'm sorry. I forgot about that Lily," Peter said meekly.  
  
"Its alright Peter, don't worry about it. When do we have to leave?" Lily asked as Sirius looked at his watch.  
  
"About an hour, don't worry, James will have enough time to eat his breakfast," Sirius said when Lily looked like she was going to protest.  
  
James walked into the kitchen soon after that wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt with a blue tie which he would wear a set of black robes over. "Good morning," James said upon entering.  
  
"Morning Prongs," Sirius said and looked at James with humor in his eyes.  
  
"Sirius," Arabella said in a warning tone.  
  
"What?" Sirius asked innocently.  
  
"Don't even think about it," Arabella said, her voice giving Sirius thoughts of various tortures if he were to do anything to get James' goat about sleeping late.  
  
James smiled warmly at Arabella before he sat down to eat. Lily was watching James for any sign of illness and therefore looked rather like a mother hen guarding her chicks.  
  
"Okay, somebody speak, the silence is killing me here," Sirius said a few moments later when no one had said a word and they were all watching James eat his breakfast.  
  
"I forgot my sweater," Lily said and headed upstairs to fetch it.  
  
Lily's sweater was draped over the chair of her desk and as she grabbed it she remembered that Snape had responded to her letter the previous morning and she'd forgotten all about it. She sat down at her desk, opened the drawer that she'd put the unopened letter in and removed it from the drawer. Just as she was about to open it she heard footsteps on the stairs and she dropped the letter back in the drawer and pushed it closed before standing up and shrugging on the black jacket-like sweater that fell down to her knees. Remus appeared a moment later.  
  
"You alive up here?" Remus asked quietly as he wondered why she was standing near her desk.  
  
"Yes. I forgot I put my sweater over here and I didn't see it when I came in," Lily replied with a smile as she pulled her ponytail out from under the collar.  
  
"All right. James was being odd and sent me up her to check on you as if he thought you were going to die or something. Very paranoid this morning, oh and he reminded me to tell you to bring your wand," Remus said and Lily's face scrunched up in thought as she walked around the desk and over to her nightstand where the pale yellow wand sat on it's mahogany surface.  
  
"I'm all set," Lily said as she slipped the wand into a pocket inside her sweater.  
  
"Okay," Remus said and started down the stairs with Lily right behind him.  
  
James asked about her wand as soon as they got down into the kitchen again and Lily showed him obligingly where she'd put it for safe keeping. As soon as James' paranoia was satisfied they walked out to the backyard where they looked for and found the portkey which was disguised as an old muggle newspaper.  
  
"How much time do we have?" James asked and Remus checked his watch.  
  
"About two minutes," Remus answered as Sirius held out the newspaper- portkey in front of him.  
  
"What do I do?" Lily asked curiously.  
  
"Just touch it, a finger will do and don't let go," James answered quickly as they all touched the dry, crinkled parchment with a finger and scrunched together in a circle.  
  
Remus was looking at his watch and soon began counting down, "Five, four, three, two, one." On the count of one Lily felt as if someone or something had just jerked her forward starting at her navel and she could feel James and Arabella on either side of her. They were being drawn forward in a rush of wind and a swirl of color when Lily's feet slammed into the ground and being unsteady already she toppled over before James managed to catch her.  
  
"Are you okay?" James asked as he helped Lily up and Lily just nodded, not trusting her stomach to keep its contents within her body.  
  
As Lily was regaining her balance she took in her surroundings. They were standing in the middle of a walled in garden at the back of a severe looking building and she could hear traffic just on the other side of the wall. There were benches where people could sit and many different types of flowers including but not exclusive to: violets, roses, lilies, hyacinths, peonies, lilacs and tulips.  
  
Lily realized after a moment that James was still holding her left arm gently in his hand and she looked at him curiously before he dropped her arm unceremoniously, making Lily wonder just what his dream that morning had been about. She made a mental note to ask him about it when a man came out of the building adjacent to the garden. He was short, round and balding. He had a pudgy face and beady brown eyes that were hidden between graying eyebrows and pink cheeks. "Good morning Mr. Pettigrew," the man said approaching Peter and sticking out his hand for the pale young man to shake.  
  
"Good morning Mr. Woodgrave," Peter said quietly.  
  
"These are your friends correct?" Woodgrave asked looking around at the others.  
  
"Yes," Peter said and began listing off their names as he gestured to them.  
  
"It's nice to meet you," Mr. Woodgrave said taking each of their hands in turn. "I'm Albert Woodgrave," he said in a solemn voice. "If you will all follow me I will show you to the hall," his gravely voice put Lily in mind of a well played record on a phonograph as she fell into step behind Peter and Sirius with Remus and Arabella on either side and James bringing up the rear.  
  
Woodgrave led them inside. The building was filled with old furniture, mainly tables in the halls that were adorned with baskets and vases of tastefully arranged flowers. There were several portraits which were whispering to each other as they passed and a mirror or two in gold painted wooden frames that hung as if to give the grief stricken full awareness of how said and sorry they looked. To Lily the place reminded her painfully of the funeral home that she had viewed her parent's bodies in before they were taken to the church where the actual funeral was to be held. She remembered the mortician whispering to the owner how odd it was for car accident victims to have open caskets.  
  
Lily caught herself taking a deep, steadying breath as they entered the hall where the late Mrs. Pettigrew's casket was surrounded by flowers and a picture of the woman was moving, as typical of wizarding portraits, and was placed beside the casket in front of many rows of straight-backed wooden chairs. Lily felt as if she was fifteen again and her parents were freshly dead, lying on silk, in wooden boxes, reminders of the fact that she hadn't been able to say goodbye. She closed her eyes trying to fight back the tears of sorrow and longing that threatened to spill over onto her cheeks. She mumbled, "Excuse me," and turned around brushing past James who was looking confused as she made her way back to the garden and sat down at one of the benches taking deep calming breaths. The smell of the flowers was overwhelming her, choking her with their sickeningly sweet perfume.  
  
Lily covered her face with her hands as if the skin and bone would block the memories of her parents from her mind. She didn't realize that she was sobbing until she felt arms holding her protectively and James' voice soothing her with whispers of, "It's alright Lily darling," and "Tell me what's the matter sweetheart."  
  
The affectionate names and the tone of his voice slowly began to calm her. "It's nothing, I'm just stupid," Lily managed to say.  
  
"Don't say that, you're not stupid. Trust me, I've met stupid people and you don't qualify. Tell me what has upset you, it won't be stupid I promise," James said as he gently ran a hand over her arm.  
  
"That - that room re-reminded m-me of m-my parents f-funeral," Lily sobbed and buried her face in his shoulder to muffle her next words. "See, it is s-stupid," she said.  
  
James had almost been expecting this when he remembered that her parents had died as he came out to help her. "Oh sweetheart, its not stupid, it's perfectly reasonable," he said and pressed his lips gently against her hair.  
  
"It is?" Lily questioned, sniffling loudly as she looked up at James with her tear-filled eyes.  
  
"Yes, it is," James said quietly. "You saw that arrangement inside and it reminded you of your parents, whose deaths you haven't overcome yet and your feelings surrounding them need to escape. So you cry, and you have the right to cry about them for as long as you like until you feel you've mourned enough, until you're completely ready to say goodbye. No one can tell you when you have to stop crying over that loss and even after you feel that's its okay to move on, to remember and not forget, you can still feel sad and not worry about it being stupid or silly. They are your parents Lily, and they loved you and you love them; you're connected to them and so their loss affects you deeply. Seeing reminders of that loss isn't stupid, it shows your humanity and had nothing to do with stupidity," he said with a passionate tone as he knew precisely what she was going through since he'd been affected similarly by the loss of his parents and his grandparents in the past.  
  
Lily took deep calming breaths as she took in James' heartfelt words. She looked up at him, into his eyes and found comfort as she glimpsed his own sorrow about his parents and grandparents who had loved and cared for him just as hers had done for her. "Thank you James, you have no idea what this means to me," Lily said gently and leaned forward kissing his cheek lightly.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt," Sirius said after he'd given a cough to announce his presence near the door. "People are starting to arrive and Peter's starting to freak out," he said quietly.  
  
"We'll be in in a moment," James announced and Sirius turned and left giving them one last moment of privacy. "You're going to be okay?" he questioned calmly not letting his voice be affected by his rapidly beating heart that had started its palpitations when Lily had kiss him.  
  
"Yes, I will be okay James. Thank you for what you said," Lily said and smiled warmly at him after wiping away the remnants of her tears.  
  
"You're welcome Lily," James said and stood up offering her a hand which she took obligingly and they walked back through the garden and to the room that held Wilhelmina Pettigrew's body and her mourners hand in hand. Lily paused at the door and took a deep breath as James squeezed her hand gently in comfort and she smiled at him before they walked into the room and down the aisle to where Sirius, Remus and Arabella sat looking grimly upon the casket before them.  
  
Arabella looked up as they approached and stood up before examining Lily curiously. "Are you okay?" Arabella asked voice Sirius and Remus' thoughts as well as her own.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine Bella," Lily said and gave a reassuring smile to her friends. "Where's Peter?" she asked after she realized he wasn't there.  
  
"His parents arrived," Sirius said quietly and gestured to where Peter stood with what had to be his mother and father. The woman was short and thin with blonde hair just like Peter's and the same beady blue eyes. The man was taller then Peter by only a few inches with light brown hair and a pinched, pointed face with brown but he was stocky otherwise; he looked like a man who got a considerable amount of exercise.  
  
When Lily looked at Peter he looked both relieved and angry and she wondered what was going on.  
  
Joseph and Charlotte Pettigrew walked into the funeral home where they have been told by their son's letter that Joseph's mother was to be viewed and found their son Peter waiting near the door. The young man looked astonished by their arrival. Charlotte rushed over to her son and hugged him tightly. "Oh Peter, I'm so sorry that you had to take care of these things yourself. Your father and I just got away," Charlotte said as she took Peter's face in her hands and seemed to be examining him for injuries.  
  
"There, there Charlotte," Joseph said with a very brief smile at his wife. "Peter is fine, aren't you boy?" the elder man questioned.  
  
"Y-yes," Peter managed to say as a perplexed look came upon his face. "But you said in your letter that you couldn't get away," Peter said as he gently look his mother's hands from his face and held them in his.  
  
"Ahh, yes. We weren't sure if the expedition could afford for us to come so we didn't want you to get your hopes up," Joseph said and pat Peter's shoulder affectionately as fathers do to sons.  
  
"We're terribly sorry Peter, we just weren't sure," Charlotte gushed and she looked close to tears. "You didn't have to go through this alone did you?" she asked worriedly and looked beyond Peter for some sign to the contrary. She immediately spotted a young woman with vibrant red hair, standing with the familiar faces of Peter's Hogwarts friends, looking curiously toward them.  
  
"No, the guys looked after him I'm sure," Joseph said his tone was all knowing and slightly arrogant in nature.  
  
"Who is that girl? Is it one of Arabella's friends or did you meet a girl?" Charlotte asked and her last words carried a hopeful tone.  
  
Peter's eyes widened. "N-no! Lily is James' housekeeper and I guess you could say that they're sort of having a relationship," Peter stuttered his cheeks going a deep red to match the draperies.  
  
"Oh. Well you will have to introduce us," Charlotte said a disappointed gleam coming across her eyes for a moment as she looked towards the girl Peter had called Lily.  
  
"Yes, come along son and introduce us," Joseph said and placed a hand on Peter's shoulder, turning him and directing him towards the group at the front of the funeral hall.  
  
Lily watched as Peter was pushed in their direction by his father and the way that embarrassment was etched across Peter's face as he walked over. "Y-you're feeling better?" Peter asked when he stopped walking just in front of them.  
  
"Oh, yes, thank you for asking Peter," Lily said with an encouraging smile.  
  
Peter nodded and took a deep breath. "I'd like you to meet my parents. Mum, dad, this is Lily Evans," Peter said gesturing to Lily, "and you know my other friends," he muttered looking down at his feet.  
  
"Always such a shy boy," Charlotte said stepping forward and holding out her hand to Lily. "I'm Charlotte Pettigrew, and his is my husband Joseph," she said as Lily took her hand quickly.  
  
"It's nice to meet you both," Lily said with a smile and shook Joseph Pettigrew's hand next.  
  
"Yes, though the circumstances are terrible it's wonderful to know that my son has such beautiful friends," Joseph said eyeing Lily in particular, making her feel as if her skin were crawling beneath her clothes.  
  
James, seeing the way that Peter's father was looking at Lily, stepped forward and put an arm around her waist possessively but he told himself it was only to make the man stop eyeing Lily like that.  
  
"Oh Joseph, you'll embarrass the girl," Charlotte said and laughed a high-pitched twittering laugh that told Lily that the woman was blind to what a creep her husband was.  
  
Lily, conscious of James' attempt to stave off Joseph's repulsing gaze took one of James' hands in hers and said, "Oh, I'm not embarrassed at all. James tells me so every night," while she squeezed James' hand to let him know to play along.  
  
Sirius, looking confused, was about to protest when Arabella said, "Sirius would you come with me out to the garden, I seem to have lost my watch."  
  
At this Sirius looked thoroughly befuddled. "Alright darling," he said and followed Arabella.  
  
"We'll come with, after all, four pairs of eyes are better then two," James said and looked at Lily lovingly every James and Lily followed in Sirius and Arabella's footsteps leaving Remus with an extremely embarrassed Peter and Peter's parents.  
  
Out in the garden Sirius asked, "What the bloody hell was that about?" eyeing Arabella quickly before looking at James and Lily, who had let go of each other and were looking rather apologetic, in a confused manner.  
  
Arabella rolled her eyes. "Did you see how Peter's father was looking at Lily?" she asked quickly and looked toward the door as a precautionary measure.  
  
"No," Sirius said and watched as Lily sighed and sat down on the bench she and James had been sitting at earlier only to be joined again by James a moment later.  
  
"He was looking at me like," Lily started and paused, looking for the right metaphor, "like I was something to be gobbled up by men like him," she finished and closed her eyes tightly. "Something unimportant that cold be tossed aside after use," Lily said quietly and looked back up at Sirius whose eyes were now blazing with anger.  
  
"That bloody bastard," Sirius muttered and clenched his fists angrily.  
  
"Yes, and James was trying to help Lily by making her seem taken," Arabella said and smiled at James warmly before he took Lily's hand in his again.  
  
"Well, that's not really a lie," Sirius said meekly and waited for the glares and the smack across the head from Arabella.  
  
"It's true were contemplating a relationship but we're not in one as of yet," Lily said quietly and smiled at James weakly.  
  
James smiled back and squeezed her hand. "So, we're going to pretend we are dating until Mr. Pettigrew is no where near Lily," he said and then looked up at Sirius. "Understand?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, I do," Sirius said and sighed realizing that going and punching Joseph Pettigrew would not solve his problems with the man.  
  
"What I don't get is how Peter's mother even married that man," Lily said as a look of disgust crossed her face quickly.  
  
"Arranged marriage," James answered honestly and scrunched up his nose in abhorrence.  
  
Lily shook her head, in her opinion arranged marriages were an outdated practice. She sighed. "We'd better get back inside, at least for Peter's sake," she said looking around at her companions who all nodded accordingly before they headed back in to relieve Remus of his burden of dealing with Peter's parents.  
  
Remus and Peter sat staring blankly at Grandmother Pettigrew's casket while Joseph and Charlotte Pettigrew greeted mourners at the door with solemn faces as the others joined them in seats nearby. Remus sent Lily and encouraging smile as he wasn't blind to what Peter's father had hinted at with his eyes as well as other parts of his body; Remus didn't think he'd be able to get them smell out of his nose for a week or get rid of the migraine the confrontation had caused.  
  
Nobody needed to say anything but it was obvious that Lily wasn't to be left alone in the vacinity of Joseph Pettigrew and James was sticking to their little game pretending that he and Lily were dating steadily. The pretending wasn't very hard for either of them in action but concerning emotion it was probably the hardest thing they had to do; holding hands and leaning into each other, allowing boundaries to be crossed and tensions to run high. James and Lily sat there trying to concentrate on not breaking the commitments they'd subconsciously made to each other and themselves with one part of their hearts and then yearning to do so with another.  
  
Lily sighed and looked up at James before slowly whispering, "I'm sorry about this."  
  
James looked down into Lily's sincere green eyes and smiled. "Don't be sorry, it's not your fault," he whispered and kissed her forehead gently as if they'd been speaking lovingly to one another instead of what they were truly doing.  
  
Lily sighed and smiled whispering, "Thank you James," as she lay her head on his shoulder.  
  
"You're welcome," James whispered back and soon there after the actual ceremony started for the mourners to remember Wilhelmina Pettigrew.  
  
The mourners cried and let Joseph and Charlotte know how wonderful a person they deceased had been and how much they would miss her as well. Peter was greatly relieved that he didn't have to great the crying and sobbing throng of people as often has his father who seemed truly distant from the whole situation making Peter's stomach burn angrily as he sat between Remus and Sirius watching his father.  
  
A few seats down from Peter, Lily was feeling ill, she looked up at James and her eyes locked with his. "What's wrong?" James whispered and brushed his fingers along her cheek gently.  
  
"It's nothing. I just don't feel well," Lily whispered back and James wound an arm around her in comfort.  
  
"It's probably stress. This will be over soon and we can go home," James said quietly and squeezed her hand gently in his.  
  
The wake ended soon there after and many people headed home. "You don't have to stay for the burial," Peter said to his friends as people began to file out of their seats towards the door.  
  
"You're sure?" Lily asked quietly. He head had started to pound and she felt like going home to bed.  
  
"Yes, and I don't know if you're looking too well any ways Lily. You can go on back home," Peter said and tensed slightly as he felt the presence of his father just behind him accompanied by his mother.  
  
"Lily dear, are you feeling well?" Charlotte asked stepping forward and touching Lily's brow gently.  
  
"Not really. Peter was just saying that we didn't have to stay and I'm sorry to be taking the offer. I feel horrible about it," Lily said honestly because if Peter's father hadn't been there she would have stayed no matter how ill she felt.  
  
"Oh, well, do feel better dear. James, you'll see that she gets some rest won't you?" Charlotte asked gently.  
  
"Of course. I wouldn't want her to be unable to feed us tonight. I'm a dreadful cook but my darling Lily has been a godsend I tell you," James said as he stood up and held out a hand to help Lily to her feet.  
  
Charlotte smiled. "I'm sure she has. Come along Peter," she said and moved away with her son.  
  
"I hope you do feel better soon Lily," Joseph said with that look in his eyes again before he nodded and followed in Charlotte and Peter's footsteps.  
  
Lily shuddered as soon as Joseph was out of sight. "I want to go home," she whispered and that they did.  
  
A/N: Alright then, this chapter is done. Please tell me what you think as I'm dying to know. Tell me everything you thought of the chapter. And don't forget I leave hints to other things in the chapter. I always wonder if people will pick up on them. I hope you liked this chapter, please Review!  
  
By the way, I'm considering starting chapter 51 as another story, part two or so. Let me know if you think that's a good idea or not. If I don't get any comments to the contrary I will probably go on to chapter 51 as Part Two of Lily Without Hogwarts. Its completely up to you guys as I'm just the lowly author.  
  
Frankie 


	51. The After Effects

Authors Note: Hello children. Sorry about the delay. I went to my dads this weekend and as luck would have it, our internet has been disconnected. So, I apologize for breaking my word yet again. I despise being broke. sighs On to the thank yous:  
  
Captain Oblivious- I didn't actually miss anything. I just missed realizing some things during some scenes and wanted to see it again.  
  
Sour-peach- Yes, Peter's dad is a pig, sadly, he'll be seen again. What do you (and everyone else) mean, what happened to Lily?  
  
Victoria- Thank you and I'm going to be keeping at as one story.  
  
Optical Illusions- Thank you for think it was well written. I'm glad you like the upheaval Joseph caused. I've decided to keep it as one story because it would take too long to write a summary.  
  
MarauderFan4ever- Why is everyone wondering what's wrong with Lily? It's there, people just don't read between the lines, though, some of it won't be completely explained until either this chapter or a chapter or two ahead, so I might be expecting too much. I loved that scene and I will forever picture Ron tap dancing surrounded by spiders. Wahahaha!  
  
Spunx182- Don't worry about the dyslexia. I've got it as well so I completely understand. Of course Joseph is a pig, that's how I meant for him to be.  
  
Akire135- I originally wanted to kill Curion for the muggle clothes because I thought he'd cut the robes... but the robes are now much better but they didn't make up for the lack of quidditch. stabs  
  
FlamezBlazel- Too many to count, so I may as well not estimate. There is still so much to fit in and I doubt I've written even half of it yet. Let me remind you that I'm at least two notebooks ahead of this chapter, so yeah.  
  
Lamamu- Welcome to the story. I've glad you like it and I don't think there's going to be a new story yet.  
  
LJ/JC4e- (have to shorten your name, it takes too long to write.) Good your faith is restored. cackles I'm very glad you liked the end. I thought it was neat too. Was this soon enough?  
  
ZzSheilahzZ- Thanks.  
  
Lydia Boyle- Peter's dad does give a glimpse into what makes Peter such a git. I know I dropped Lily's journal, but my explanation for that is that Lily is having too wonderful of a time and is being too distracted to remember her journal. Before it was her escape and she doesn't really need one anymore, though, she might pick it up again later. I also wonder if J.K.'s Lily kept one. It would be interesting if Harry found it. I'm sorry about the delay. I was hoping to get to a library while at my dads but it didn't happen.   
  
Manny2003- Sirius, Remus & James won't have to do anything about Joseph Pettigrew. And you forgot someone else who'd kill him if he heard about what happened.  
  
Kitty254781- Why were you laughing at Lily being looked at as if she were a whore? I'm confused. Unless you're a new reviewer/reader and read all the story before & just now reviewed.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- Almighty eh? That might cause me to get an ego about this story. watches head swell in mirror before deflating it with her wand Sorry about that. Oo. Thanks for the great review.

Sissy-6- I'm glad you still like the story.

Soccerchik1313- I'm glad you enjoy the side stories. I like them too as they give more insight to somethings. Thank you very much for the review.

Inuyasha's Only One- I've emailed you with my explanation for stopping Lily Evans & the Marauders. I do hope that I do no receive thousands of emails from you complaining about something that I cannot help. I do hope that you read Lily w/o Hogwarts though as you might like it and I'd hope to hear from you again.

Katie- Thank you, I'm trying.

**Chapter Fifty-One:** The After Effects  
  
As soon as Lily stepped out of the grate at Godric's Hollow she sat down on the couch in James' room and took a number of deep breaths. "Are you all right?" James asked while Sirius helped Arabella out of the grate.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm going to go take a shower. I'll see you guys in about an hour," Lily said and stood up, leaving the room rather quickly.  
  
James sighed and as Remus exited the grate he said, "Lets go on down to the Library and wait for Lily." So they filed out of James' room and downstairs to the library.  
  
Lily closed her bedroom door and leaned against it, curling into a ball feeling gross and unwashed while wishing she could see Catherine. She closed her eyes tightly still wishing as she heard a small pop and opened her eyes; only she wasn't in her room any longer. This room was much different as well as darker. The curtains were green with silver snakes as patterning. The bed was big, black and wide; a four poster with comforter and pillows in a deep forest green with silver and black embroidery. There were nightstands that matched the bed frame with silver snakes for drawer pulls that the dresser also matched beautifully. The ceiling was high and one wall across from the wide window that could see about four people comfortably was a sort of crawl space that had a ladder running up to the top where a person could and obviously did sit comfortably.  
  
Hearing footsteps in the hallway beyond the door she quickly climbed up the wooden ladder and hid in one corner of the space watching the door anxiously. It took what seemed like forever to open and Lily was amazed by who came through the door. "Catherine?" Lily whispered and the dark haired girl looked up in surprise.  
  
"Lily? What are you... how did you get here?" Catherine asked as Lily climbed down the ladder quickly.  
  
"I don't know. I was sitting in my room wishing I could speak with you and I closed my eyes and a moment later I was here," Lily said quickly. "I don't know how it happened," she said and wrung her hands nervously.  
  
"Come sit down," Catherine said calmly though she was scared of what was going on. "Take some deep breaths and try to calm down," she said while trying to follow her own advice. For a moment all that could be heard was their breathing before Catherine spoke up. "The only possible explanation is that you apparated here Lily," she said and looked over at the redhead whose eyes were wide with a shock.  
  
"But I - I don't know how to apparate Catherine!" Lily said in a panicky voice.  
  
"Shh, its all right. Remember that you were supposed to be able to apparate by now Lily and its like what happened the day we met. In the Leaky Cauldron you protected yourself instinctively because you were feeling particularly strong emotions..." Catherine said and trailed off as she realized what she was saying. "Lily, what were your feelings before you apparated here?" she asked calmly and quietly though if you listened closely you could hear the edge of panic there.  
  
"Well, I really needed to talk to you and well, I was scared," Lily said quietly and looked at Catherine with watery eyes.  
  
Catherine's instantaneous reaction was anger but she pushed it away. "Why were you scared Lily?" she asked in a soothing voice.  
  
"Peter's father was at the funeral and he was looking at me like I was a prostitute and it made me feel sick and scared. James helped a bit, but I needed to talk to you," Lily said quickly, panic was a sticky coating in her mouth that made her voice just a slightly higher pitch then usual.  
  
Catherine felt rage boiling inside of her that she feared she wouldn't be able to control. "They left you alone with him?" Catherine asked angrily.  
  
"No! They... well, it's not their fault. I went to my room because I wanted a shower. Just his eyes made me feel like trash and I meant to shower but I just felt like crying and sleeping for hours. I don't understand why I'm feeling like this Catherine. I just want to take a shower and go to sleep," Lily said and by now tears were flowing unceremoniously down her cheeks as she tried in vain to brush them away.  
  
Catherine pulled Lily close and held her while she cried, whispering, "Its okay, he can't hurt you. You're safe now and he won't get to you," over and over while brushing a hand over her hair in soothing strokes.  
  
When Lily calmed down Catherine said, "We should get you back to James' house before they start to worry about you," and Lily nodded in quick, jerky movements of her head.  
  
They flooed back to James' house arriving in James' empty bedroom and walking quickly down the hall to Lily's room which was thankfully empty. "You go get into the shower and I'll go find the others and let them know what's happened," Catherine said leading Lily slowly over to the bathroom so she could shower.  
  
When the door had closed Catherine bolted out of the room and down stairs to the library, bursting into the room where everyone but Peter was.  
  
James stood up immediately as he'd been feeling strangely anxious since Lily had gone into her room alone. "What's happened? Where's Lily?" he asked his eyes wide with panic.  
  
"She's taking her shower, don't worry about where she is now. Worry more about where she was twenty minutes ago and why," Catherine said quickly, refraining from responding to Arabella's inappropriate glare.  
  
"What? What happened?" James asked and grabbed Catherine's shoulders forcefully.  
  
"She apparated to my house James," Catherine said quickly causing Remus, Sirius and Arabella to stand up as if in protest.  
  
"What? Why? How did-," James began but Catherine interrupted. "Just listen," she said and they all nodded.  
  
"She's extremely scared of Peter's father. I think that she thinks that he's going to try to come after her or something, but while all these thought were going through her mind she was desperate to talk to me. She closed her eyes and when she opened them she found herself in my bedroom in Ireland," Catherine explained quickly.  
  
"That's unbelievable," Arabella said unable to keep the scathing tone out of her voice.  
  
"Whether you believe me or not it's the truth and I wouldn't be here just to tell you pointless stories to scare you about Lily. Whether you believe me or not Arabella Figg doesn't matter. All that matters is keeping Lily safe and out of reach from this asshole. So, stick you condescending remarks up your ass and remember that Lily is that one who is scared that someone, some monster, is after her, is that clear?" Catherine snapped angrily losing control of her emotions for the first time after one of Arabella's provoking remarks.  
  
"Crystal," Arabella said with a tone of misplaced satisfaction.  
  
Catherine took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I'm going to go up stairs and wait for Lily to get out of the shower. I'm going to sit with her and attempt to get her mind off of her fears. She'll need something to eat, soup will probably be the only thing she can keep down and some chamomile tea to soothe her nerves and help her to get to sleep. She needs rest and nothing else stressful right now. So, let's put our animosity aside and help Lily. Is that okay with you Arabella?" Catherine said opening her eyes again and looking at Arabella.  
  
Arabella seemed to be having an internal struggle and it was a moment before she nodded and said, "I'll send someone up with the soup," before walking out of the library without another word.  
  
Catherine looked briefly at the others briefly before walking out of the library and up the stairs to Lily's room where she heard the shower turn off just as she closed the door behind her and walked over to Lily's perfectly made bed to sit down and wait.  
  
Lily walked out of the bathroom in an overlarge towel and walked into the closet, grabbing a pair of plaid flannel pajamas to wear and relax in. "I'm surprised James didn't come rushing up here demanding to see me," Lily said with a short and extremely forced laugh.  
  
"Honestly so am I," Catherine said and smiled accordingly before Lily walked back into the bathroom to change into her pajamas, coming out a few minutes later with her hair brushed and feet bare. "That plaid just isn't your color," Catherine said with a smile as Lily walked closer.  
  
Lily smiled slightly before climbing onto her bed and slipping under the covers without a word as Catherine lay on her side next to Lily. "Are you going to be all right?" Catherine asked as she watched Lily and felt horrible about everything that had happened that day.  
  
"I don't know but it's likely I will be," Lily said as a knock came on the door from the kitchen. "Who is it?" she asked.  
  
"It's James. I have some soup Bella made," James said loudly enough so that he could be heard through the door. He had been greatly relieved when he heard Lily's voice but now he was worried she would turn him away.  
  
"Come in," Lily said quietly and the door opened revealing James carrying a tray much like the one Lily had brought Peter the day before. He placed it over her lap and smiled at her. "Thank you," she said quietly.  
  
"No problem, anything you want I'll bring you. Just call down and I'll fetch it as you probably don't want to be alone right now," James said and desperately wished he could touch her but he didn't dare. By Merlin, he wanted Joseph Pettigrew to die a horrible and painful death for making Lily fear him. Hell, she wasn't this scared of Voldemort and had stood up against two of James' own enemies. What was it about Joseph Pettigrew that scared her so much?  
  
"Thank you James," Lily said and smiled briefly at him for being so considerate.  
  
James smiled back and forced himself to walk out of the room without touching her. He was contemplating various forms of torture as he walked down the stairs, one of which involved drawing and quartering Joseph Pettigrew.  
  
Lily sighed and picked up the spoon lying near the bowl of soup and slowly began to eat. Catherine watched her and worried about what this would do to Lily's sanity. She sighed quietly and Lily turned her head to look at her. "What's wrong Catherine?" she asked quietly as she set aside her spoon.  
  
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "I'm worried about you Lily. I keep wondering if you're going to be okay," she said quietly as she brushed an ever present and annoying strand of hair out of her face.  
  
Lily gave a very small smile. "I'll be fine. I just needed to talk to you and shower," Lily said and reached out grasping Catherine's hand comfortingly.  
  
"You're sure?" Catherine asked quietly and Lily nodded. "Absolutely positive?" she asked again.  
  
"Only fools are positive Cath," Lily replied with an honest smile.  
  
Catherine laughed. "Alright, I get the picture," she said and Lily released her hand.  
  
"Good. So tell me, what's between you and Remus?" Lily said and smirked broadly as Catherine's jaw dropped dramatically.  
  
"Are you crazy?" Catherine asked when she was capable of speech again.  
  
"Never answer a question with a question it usually signifies guilt," Lily replied and began to eat her soup again.  
  
"You're nutters, completely mental," Catherine responded and shook her head.  
  
"So what? I've got to be to like James. Tell me what you think of him at least," Lily said giving Catherine the most pathetic doe eyed look she could dredge up without laughing hysterically.  
  
"He's nice alright and smart. Attractive in a bookish sort of way but it would never happen," Catherine replied unable to defy Lily's look.  
  
"And why is that my dear Catherine?" Lily said questioningly before eating some more of her soup.  
  
Catherine just stared at Lily for a moment. "You can't be serious," she said when Lily didn't attempt to say she was joking.  
  
"Of course not," Lily said and paused as Catherine began to feel relief. "He's downstairs," she said and smiled humorously as Catherine groaned.  
  
"You're mental, completely gone. I should call St. Mungo's and ask if they have a mental ward," Catherine muttered and rolled on her back to stare up at the ceiling.  
  
"I've had enough of St. Mungo's to last me a lifetime. Just tell me why nothing could happen between you and Remus," Lily responded as she leaned over to look Catherine straight in the eye.  
  
"It just couldn't. We don't have much of anything in common and he a w-well, a Gryffindor and I'm a Slytherin," Catherine said causing Lily's brow to raise speculatively as she tripped over 'well'. Catherine never stuttered.  
  
"You can't tell me that that prejudice holds true for you Catherine. I know it's a lie considering I should be a Gryffindor and we're friends. Not to mention Sirius was a Gryffindor too," Lily said and Catherine sat up abruptly and turned to look at Lily.  
  
"Lily please, just drop it. I couldn't happen and Remus probably doesn't even think of me that way," Catherine said and Lily thought she caught a flicker in Catherine's brown eyes but what it represented Lily could only guess.  
  
"Alright Cath. I'm sorry. I don't mean to pressure you about this," Lily replied and Catherine smiled warmly.  
  
"Oh don't worry about it. Friends always give friends crap about stuff like this Lil," Catherine said with a happy-go-lucky sort of tone.  
  
"I know. At Hogwarts you took the mickey out of me about James all the time when you found out about what he did to comfort me after my parents died," Lily said quickly and wondered how Catherine would take hearing that.  
  
"Yeah, I figure as much," Catherine said and smiled at Lily and the redhead smiled back.  
  
Suddenly there was a knock at the door to the kitchen. Lily raised an eyebrow as she looked at Catherine who shrugged nonchalantly. "Who is it?" Lily called.  
  
"Arabella," Arabella's voice called out coolly and Catherine mimed vomiting. Lily shook her head and called back, "Come in Bella," and the door opened a second later.  
  
Arabella walked in and kept her gaze on Lily not bothering to acknowledge Catherine's presence at all. "I came up to tell you that I made the guys lunch and that I'm heading home now. If you like I can come back later and make dinner," Arabella said quietly and watched Lily.  
  
Lily glanced sideways to Catherine who gave a tiny shrug. "Don't worry about it Bella. I'm sure I'll be able to manage it," Lily said and smiled happily at Arabella.  
  
"You're sure?" Arabella asked sternly as she watched Lily.  
  
"Yes Bella. I'm feeling much better really," Lily said with an odd look that somewhat resembled sympathy.  
  
"Alright. I guess I'll talk to you later then," Arabella said quietly as she tried to control her disappointment.  
  
"Absolutely Bella," Lily said with a smile.  
  
"Goodbye Lily," Arabella said slowly and turned to leave.  
  
"Goodbye Bella," Lily replied and Arabella put up one hand in salute and walked back down the stairs to the kitchen closing the door behind her.  
  
"You're not really planning on cooking us dinner are you?" as male voice asked from the other door. Remus was standing there with an eyebrow raised at Lily and gave the smallest of glances at Catherine.  
  
"Of course she's not," Catherine said as if appalled at the suggestion.  
  
"Then why did you turn Bella away?" Remus asked curiously and Catherine grinned in a delighted manner.  
  
"I'll be cooking," Catherine said still grinning devilishly.  
  
"What?" Remus asked as if he'd been struck dumb by this proclamation.  
  
"I'm cooking," Catherine said again as she watched Remus. "What do you think I'll poison the food?" she asked curiously.  
  
"No, of course not," Remus protested strongly as he shook his head making some of his light brown hair fall over his eyes obscuring their gray color slightly in the process.  
  
Catherine sighed quietly but the only person who heard it was Lily, who suddenly seemed to realize something. "You were eavesdropping Remus Lupin," she said lightly and Remus' cheeks reddened.  
  
"I was just going to my room to get something and I couldn't help overhearing Lily, you know that," Remus said accenting the last three words slightly and coughing a moment later.  
  
"Oh, right, like I should believe you," Lily said and winked to let Remus know she'd understood what he was hinting at.  
  
"Oh c'mon Lily, leave the poor guy alone. So what, he overheard that part of the conversation. It's not like he heard the rest," Catherine said lightly as she hadn't seen the little wink Lily had thrown Remus' way.  
  
Lily pretended to pout. "Oh alright, but you're getting off light this time Lupin," Lily said and you could hear the laughter in her voice.  
  
Catherine looked around at Lily and glared at her. Lily stuck out her tongue at Catherine. Remus laughed quietly, "I'll leave you two to your girl talk," he said and smiled at them both, locking eyes briefly with Catherine before he left and closed the door behind him.  
  
Catherine turned back to Lily and glared. "What?" Lily asked innocently as she twirled a strand of damp hair around her finger, trying to look like an angel.  
  
"I should kick your butt Evans," Catherine said quietly and fingered her wand that rested dormantly in her pocket.  
  
"Oh really Mcgeogehgan, and how do you plan to do that?" Lily asked leaning back and looking sickly.  
  
"Liar," Catherine said and then said, "Petrificus Totalus," as she pulled her wand out and pointed it at Lily who looked at her with wide eyes as the Full Body Bind took its effects and Catherine laughed mischievously. She moved the tray with its empty bowl of soup off of Lily and over to the desk before turning around and pointing her wand at Lily again. "Finite Incantatum," and movement was restored to Lily's limbs.  
  
"What did I do?" Lily asked as she tried to hold back her laughter.  
  
"What did you do? Oh Lily you know what you did, make me into a fool while you mouthed things at Remus," Catherine said and before Lily could move or protest said, "Rictusempra!" and the Tickling Charm took effect.  
  
Lily laughed and screeched, "Stop Cath! I'm sorry!" but her words were just jibberish behind the laughter.  
  
The door opened and Remus stood there again watching the amusing scene before him. Catherine laughing at Lily who was laughing so hard that moments later James and Sirius appeared at the door behind Remus.  
  
"What on Earth is going on?" James called out catching Catherine's attention.  
  
Wide eyed, Catherine muttered, "Finite Incantatum," again and Lily's laughter died away. Sirius stood there looking amusedly at Catherine who was now standing there whistling innocently and rocking back and forth on her heels.  
  
Again James asked, "What is going on in here?" trying not to laugh or jump at Lily, who flushed and breathing heavy with her hair in such disarray looked extremely attractive. Remembering his place he looked back at Catherine as he tried to wipe several naughty thoughts from his mind.  
  
"Well, its obviously fun and games time in Lily's room, who seems to be alive and kicking," Sirius said and snorted loudly making everyone stare at him. "What? I thought it was funny," he said and shrugged.  
  
"You know," Lily said as she got back the ability to speak. "For someone with such a Sirius name you're awfully silly," she finished and glanced at Catherine who doubled over trying not to laugh.  
  
"Oh the horrible puns," Remus said aloud and shook his head while trying not to laugh himself.  
  
James was chuckling inwardly especially after he saw the look on Sirius' face. He was trying to look hurt and failing brilliantly. James burst into laughter and Sirius could no longer hold it in letting out a loud guffaw and closing his eyes.  
  
For the next five minutes the group of five laughed over the bad pun and each other laughing. Sirius and Remus found their way to sitting positions on the floor while Catherine was now kneeling and rocking back and forth hugging herself and James was leaning against the door frame trying to take deep calming breaths. Lily was muffling her laughter in a pillow, covering her face and only when everyone stopped laugh did she dare remove her face from said pillow.  
  
"Wow," Lily said calmly and Catherine chuckled lightly. "We need lives," she muttered and brushed the hair that had fallen into her face, away.  
  
"Yes we do," Catherine said and climbed to her feet slowly.  
  
"I say we adjourn to the library," Lily spoke up as she crawled off the bed.  
  
"But you need rest," James said instantly sobered from his laughing fit.  
  
"No, I need distraction and people. Besides, we need to discuss my sudden ability to apparate," Lily said as she found a pair of slippers in her closet and slipped them on walking toward the door slowly for the sake of worried!James.  
  
Downstairs Lily curled up in a chair with her feet tucked beneath her and waited quietly while everyone sat down in the other chairs around her. "So, what did Catherine say wen she came down to tell you about my apparation?" Lily asked calmly as she pulled her hair behind her ears to get it out of her face.  
  
"The truth, that you were scared of Peter's father and that you apparated to my house," Catherine said quietly as she looked at Lily and then around at the others. They all seemed angry and Catherine knew that it wasn't the apparating but Joseph Pettigrew who they were plotting the murder of subconsciously caused it.  
  
"Well, what should we do about it?" Lily questioned as she curled up a little more.  
  
"I suggest murder," Sirius muttered and clenched a fist tightly glowering angrily at the imaginary vision of Joseph in front of him.  
  
"Ah, I do believe Lily meant her accidental apparation, Padfoot," Remus said with a tone that implied some form of amusement.  
  
"Oh, right," Sirius said as he blinked rapidly for a moment.  
  
"I think that only course of action to follow is to take Lily down to the Ministry and have her take the test," James said gently and smiled at Lily warmly.  
  
"Of course," Catherine said quietly, there wasn't really anything else to do.  
  
"What is this test?" Lily asked curiously of them.  
  
"Its simple really. They just ask you to apparate somewhere and if you do it without splinching yourself you pass and are legally allowed to apparate," Sirius said and James glared at him when he mentioned splinching.  
  
"Splinching?" Lily questioned as James glared some more at Sirius who looked apologetic.  
  
"Don't worry about that, you'll do just fine," Catherine said confidently and smiled warmly at Lily.  
  
"All right," Lily said nervously as she glanced at Sirius who was still being glared at by James.  
  
Remus looked at Lily and then at Sirius and back to Lily before he said, "We'd best tell her. She'll be less worried about splinching if she knows what it means." James turned his glare on Remus now.  
  
"Oh for Merlin's sake! Remus is right, we should tell her," Catherine said getting thoroughly annoyed by James glaring at everyone in the room except for Lily.  
  
"Oh fine," James said and threw up his hands in exasperation.  
  
Catherine looked back and forth between Sirius and Remus and realized that she would have to be the one to tell Lily. She coughed to clear her throat before beginning. "Splinching is where you leave part of yourself behind and hen you can't move either way. They're always having to fine people for apparating without a license," Catherine said barely aware of what she had finished with.  
  
"Fined? Do you mean I'll have to pay a fine for what happened today?" Lily asked with wide eyes.  
  
James then realized something. A letter should have come saying that Lily was to pay a fine, but it hadn't. He scratched his head as he said, "There should have been at least a letter as a warning. I wonder why it wasn't sent."  
  
"I took care of that," Albus Dumbledore said from near the door and Catherine jumped in her seat.  
  
"Professor!" Catherine said in a rather shocked tone of voice.  
  
"Miss Mcgeogehgan, what a pleasant surprise," Dumbledore said with his eyes twinkling in the light.  
  
Lily was very surprised. "What did you take care of Professor?" she asked.  
  
"Well, I was at the Department of Magical Transportation this afternoon discussing the arrangements for the costume ball when the notice came in about you apparating. I convinced them not to fine you as I knew it was an accident," Dumbledore replied with a smile.  
  
"Oh yes it was. I didn't know I could do it and I nearly had a panic attack," Lily replied earnestly as she unconsciously fiddled with her necklace.  
  
"I imagine you weren't the only one anxious about that, am I correct?" Dumbledore asked looking at Catherine who nodded rather quickly and was watching him curiously.  
  
"Well, I'd best be off. I have a few stops to make before I return to Hogwarts. I was nice seeing you all," Dumbledore said with a smile as he looked around at everyone.  
  
"Thank you very much Professor," Lily said before the great wizard could disappear.  
  
"It was no trouble at all Lily," Dumbledore said turning to leave and then stopping and turning back. "I trust that you will all be attending the costume ball," he said with a kind smile before he disapparated leaving them no room to protest even if they had wanted to.  
  
Lily smiled and sighed. "His presence is always comforting. He seems like a wonderful grandfather type figure," she said aloud and the others nodded in agreement.  
  
Remus had been watching Catherine for a majority of the time that Dumbledore had been there and he noted that she seemed slightly nervous or anxious about the Headmaster of Hogwarts popping by for a chat. He wondered absently about that for a moment before he asked, "So when do you plan to take Lily for the test James?"  
  
"Whenever Lily wishes to go," James said quietly as he glanced at Lily and smiled warmly.  
  
"It would probably be best to go as soon as possible," Catherine said absently as she was currently stuck inside her own thoughts.  
  
"Well, I can see what's available tomorrow at work," James said contemplatively and looked over at Lily for confirmation.  
  
"That sounds good to me," Lily said quietly as she looked at James who nodded slowly.  
  
Catherine suddenly jumped to her feet. "I think that I should stay the night tonight," she paused, "For Lily's benefit," she said as she looked at James realizing how rude it was just to invite herself over to stay.  
  
"That might be a good idea," James said slowly and nodded as the thought it over. "Yes, a good idea, as long as Lily doesn't protest," he said and Lily shook her head.  
  
"All right. I'll be back in a bit. I'm going to pick up some things," Catherine said and smiled at Lily quickly.  
  
"Okay, come back soon," Lily said smiling back and Catherine nodded before disapparating.  
  
"That was slightly odd," Remus said slowly looking between Lily and Sirius quickly as if for explanation.  
  
"Catherine is odd," Lily and Sirius said at the same time and then laughed.  
  
"Well, that was interesting," Remus said and laughed while James just shook his head slowly and smiled.

A/N: Sorry about the week long delay yet again. I hope you all forgive me for it. My internet at my dads got disconnected so I had to wait until I came back to my place to update again. I hope you all enjoy it!

Frankie


	52. Beginning and Ending with Wormtail

Author's Note: Whee! Another chapter finished despite my lack of reviews. Which disappointed me and made me not want to type up this chapter as punishment to those who didn't review. But I decided I wouldn't punish all for some other's lack of consideration. So... to those who did review:  
  
Kitty254781- Ahh, I see. Well, welcome to the story.  
  
Akire138- You are one of the few who actually like Remus/Catherine. Yay for you! And you think James will do something eh? Hmm, that's an interesting concept.  
  
R.T.- Lily's boggart shant be for a while, but you shall see it eventually. You'll also see who the recruit is in time. Why are you asking what's wrong with Lily? I thought that was obvious? Oy. Explanation in the following chapter.  
  
Sissy-6- Thanks. And don't worry about the content. Its just good to know some people actually review.  
  
Black-cat-on-the-wall- I'm glad you loved it then. You may hate me later. Yes, James is naughty, the sex fiend. Lol.  
  
Manny2003- Perhaps. Be patient.  
  
Now go read and review my minions... er, I mean my readers.  
  
**Chapter Fifty-Two:** Beginning and Ending with Wormtail  
  
Near London Peter was and had been with his parents for the past hour as his grandmother was buried six feet below the ground. It was over and Peter just wanted to go back to James' house and apologize to everyone.  
  
"Peter, dear, did you hear me?" Charlotte asked as she gently put a hand on Peter's arm and squeezed lightly.  
  
"Sorry mother, what did you say?" Peter asked as he looked down at his feet.  
  
"Your mother asked if you wanted to join us for a late lunch at the Leaky Cauldron," Joseph said with a smile that made Peter feel sick to his stomach.  
  
Peter looked up at his father briefly and shook his head. "No, I should get back to James' house," he said quietly.  
  
Joseph smiled, "Of course. You want to make sure Lily is alright. I completely understand. Go on to James' we'll see you later," he smiled broadly and clapped Peter on the shoulder rather hard. "Come on Charlotte darling," Joseph said and turned toward his wife.  
  
"See you later Peter dear," Charlotte said and the two disapparated just as Peter's arm burned and he pushed up his sleeve to see the Dark Mark imprinted jet black on his skin. He hated not being able or rather allowed to go to most of the Death Eater gatherings but still had to feel his arm burn angrily beneath his clothes. He closed his eyes against the lingering pain and headed off to make plans that he probably wouldn't be able to put into effect for a while. He was also preoccupied as to why his father had brought up Lily not feeling well. Confused, he decided to return to James'.  
  
Catherine packed hurriedly. She had another stop to make before returning to James' house and she didn't want to take too long to get back. She couldn't make anyone suspicious, not when she was close to achieving her goal. She apparated to the same small house in Northern Scotland and found another note in the same bold block letters. "STAY SHARP," was what it read and Catherine sighed. She realized she probably didn't have much longer to delay her actions. She burned the note again in the fireplace and disapparated to Lily's bedroom.  
  
Catherine set her bag on the couch and quietly opened Lily's door leading out to the upstairs hallway and closed it silently behind her. She paused, her heart beating rather rapidly despite her control as she listened for anyone coming up the front stairs. Hearing no one, she took two steps toward Peter's door and knocked lightly. 'Who knows if he's gotten back yet?' she thought and when no answer came she opened the door and pushed it open slowly being very aware of creaking hinges.  
  
A quick scan of Peter's room showed no movement and no people. She breathed a sigh of relief and headed toward the dresser and opened the top drawer shifting clothes quickly and carefully. She found nothing suspicious and mentally swore. She moved to the nightstand seeing that Peter had neglected to take the tray table from the previous night down to the kitchen. She shook her head briefly at his laziness and made to open one of the drawers but a popping noise alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone.  
  
Catherine whirled around and clutched at her heart. "Oh! Peter, you scared me!" she said breathlessly, her heart beating fast beneath her hand as she tried not to look flushed.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" Peter asked angrily as he realized Catherine was standing in his room and the shock of finding her there quickly wore off.  
  
"I thought I would take this down to the kitchen," Catherine said turning and pointing at the tray table. "I didn't want Lily to have to work tonight," she said very convincingly.  
  
"Oh," Peter said laxly unable to come up with anything better to say as he stifled the thought that Catherine had been snooping in his room.  
  
"Well, I'll just take this down and see you later," Catherine said cheerfully as she picked the tray up and walked out of the room thanking herself for not closing the door behind her. She walked the short way to Lily's bedroom and balanced the tray carefully as she opened the door. She set the tray down beside Lily's from earlier and stacked the dishes carefully so she could carry them down to the kitchen.  
  
Catherine leaned against the desk and took a deep breath. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid Catherine!" she muttered and took another deep breath before taking hold of the trays and bringing them down to the kitchen. She quickly washed them before finding where they belonged and put them away. Catherine left the kitchen quickly and made her way back to the library where Peter had already arrived. Bracing herself for any possible interrogation she said, "I'm back."  
  
After Catherine had left earlier, small talk commenced for about thirty minutes until Peter came in. He had changed out of his funeral clothes and into something more comfortable but he wasn't really paying any attention. He was thinking about Catherine being in his room and it still didn't feel right to him even after he'd told himself she wouldn't have been snooping.  
  
"Hey Peter," Sirius said being the first to notice him walk in.  
  
Sirius's voice drew Peter out of his thoughts. "Hi," Peter said and looked around. He noticed that Lily looked away from him rather quickly.  
  
"So, um, how did things go?" James asked quietly after he'd glanced at Lily knowing that she would be reminded of what had happened at the funeral.  
  
"Fine," Peter said quietly as he dragged his curious gaze away from Lily to focus on James.  
  
"Oh, okay," James said slowly as he searched for a way to start a conversation to distract both Lily and Peter.  
  
"Except for when my father brought up Lily wen I said I should come back here," Peter mumbled as if they could alert him to the reason for it.  
  
"He what?" Lily asked just as Catherine entered the room saying, "I'm back," and all eyes turned to her.  
  
Catherine's eyes quickly traveled around to everyone and she noticed that there was fear in Lily's eyes again. "Er - what's happened?" she asked moving around Peter and over to Lily.  
  
"Nothing. Excuse me please," Lily said and climbed out of her chair before almost running from the room.  
  
Catherine's brow raised curiously, "I'll be right back," she said and went after Lily. She heard the front door close as she neared the stairs and followed the noise outside. "Lily? Where are you?" she called out before she heard bushes rustle on the kitchen side of the house and ran in that direction.  
  
Lily was crouched below the kitchen window with her head in her arms and she was crying again. Catherine crouched in front of her. "What happened?" Catherine asked touching Lily's arm gently only to have it pushed violently away as Lily jumped to her feet and ran towards the large pond. Catherine bolted after her, grabbing her roughly and holding her still. "Damnit Lily, talk to me!" Catherine cried out and Lily stopped struggling.  
  
"He mentioned me, Peter said so," Lily said still sobbing, which she didn't really understand. Her sentences were short and clipped. She practically collapsed and Catherine gently lowered the both of them to the ground holding Lily close letting her cry as she longed to go find Pettigrew and kill him.  
  
"Lily, it's alright. That bastard isn't here, he can't get to you and he won't hurt you. I won't let him. I promise you," Catherine said fiercely and held Lily tightly.  
  
"I just don't understand why I'm so scared of him! I can't figure it out!" Lily said angrily as she continued sobbing and sniffling.  
  
"Shh, it's gonna be okay Lily. You, no, we'll figure it out and then you won't have to be afraid any more," Catherine said gently while she prayed mentally that it was the truth. She couldn't stand watching Lily in such anguish.  
  
"Are you sure?" Lily asked as she looked up at Catherine. Her eyes were filled with the conflicting emotions of fear and hope.  
  
"Yes Lily, I am," Catherine said and Lily put her head on Catherine's shoulder. Slowly but surely she stopped crying.  
  
"I'm sorry I freaked out," Lily said as she leaned back and wiped her face with her hands to get rid of the tears.  
  
"Oh, sweetheart, don't worry about that. You had every right in the world to freak out," Catherine said and hugged Lily tightly as if the embrace would wipe away all her worries.  
  
Lily sighed quietly and they sat like that for a while before Lily said, "I think I can go back in now."  
  
Catherine looked skeptical. "Are you sure?" she asked dubiously.  
  
"No, but we can't say out here forever Cath," Lily said with a bland smile.  
  
"If you want to we can," Catherine said seriously and Lily laughed.  
  
"Come on, I don't need James to worry about me," Lily said quietly and smiled a little bit.  
  
Catherine laughed internally as she thought, 'Well, you've already signed on for that," and then shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. "Alright, let's go. I just hope they explained to Peter what's going on," Catherine said helping Lily to her feet. They headed back inside slowly.  
  
As Catherine headed off after Lily James attempted to follow but Remus stopped him. "Let Catherine help her James. I don't think Lily wants a man to comfort her right now," Remus said looking at James compassionately as he knew James was frustrated and angry about the whole situation. James fell back into his chair in something close to disappointment and sighed slightly.  
  
Peter looked on in confusion but he had the distinct feeling that it had something to do with his father. "C-can somebody please tell me what's going on?" Peter asked curiously as his stomach started to fill with nerves.  
  
James looked up and opened his mouth to speak but the words just wouldn't come. He closed his eyes and turned his head from Peter. He couldn't do it, even if he'd wanted to.  
  
Sirius, unable to control his anger any longer, nor his tongue, announced, "Your father is a bastard Peter," as he clenched his fists again.  
  
"W-what did you say?" Peter asked as some ingrained sense of loyalty took hold of his thoughts.  
  
"Sirius," Remus said warningly and Sirius growled angrily and sat down next to James. "Peter, do you know what happened at the funeral today?" Remus asked gently as he stood up and walked closer to Peter with his hands in his pockets.  
  
Peter's forehead crunched up in thought. "Well, my dad complimented Lily and then Lily and James started acting like they were dating, which I knew wasn't normal but I didn't say anything," Peter said slowly and ignored Sirius' angry growl that was concealing the effort it was taking him from bursting out of his seat and shouting.  
  
Remus sighed. "What your father said may have been complimentary but how he was looking at her definitely was not," Remus said slowly as she thought out his words so as not to offend Peter into an angry outburst.  
  
"How's that?" Peter asked in a disbelieving voice.  
  
"Like she was something to be owned and used and then tossed away. Your father was looking at Lily as if she were a whore Peter," Remus said and watched as Peter's eyes widened in disbelief and he shook his head in denial.  
  
"You can't be serious!" Peter exclaimed angrily. For once no one commented about Sirius being on the other side of the room.  
  
"I am. Why else would Lily freak out like she did just now, like she did a few hours ago when she accidentally apparated to Catherine's house because she needed to talk to her and was scared. Lily is scared of your father Peter and everything I've said is the truth," Remus countered and Peter frowned.  
  
"But my father is married! He's not that kind of a guy!" Peter proclaimed.  
  
"Peter, I know this is hard to deal with but you have to believe me. At least for Lily's sake," Remus replied but he knew it was a fruitless effort.  
  
Peter shook his head angrily and yelled, "No! It's not true!" before leaving he library and going up to his room slamming the door in his wake.  
  
Remus sighed and sat down. "Well that didn't go as well as I had hoped," he said and sighed again loudly.  
  
"Does anything ever go as well as we want it to?" James asked and finally opened his eyes.  
  
"In regard to Peter, no," Sirius said angrily. "How can he be so loyal to that asshole? I saw the bruises after holidays," he finished.  
  
"We all did Padfoot, but there wasn't anything we could do because Peter would never ask for our help about it," James replied and sat forward putting his head in his hands.  
  
They were absolutely silent until Catherine came in and took one look at the depressing looks on their faces and said, "I'm guessing that didn't go well." It wasn't a question.  
  
"Where's Lily?" James asked as he looked up at Catherine and didn't see her.  
  
"Cleaning herself up at bit. She'll be here soon, tell me what happened," Catherine said as she came over and sat in a chair looking anxious.  
  
"He didn't want to believe us," Remus said quietly and Sirius growled again.  
  
Catherine sighed. "I figured that would happen," she said and rubbed her hands over her face.  
  
Lily walked in a little later. "Where's Peter?" she asked slowly upon seeing his absence from the room.  
  
"Upstairs I'm guessing," James said and stood up walking over to Lily. He could see the evidence of her tears in the redness surrounding her eyes and it pained him. "Are you okay?" he asked his voice barely a whisper.  
  
Lily sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "I will be," she said and could tell that James needed some reassurance, it was evident in his eyes. She stepped closer and gave James a comforting hug. "Don't worry James. I'll be okay," she whispered in his ear as he became aware of the hug and wrapped his arms around her tightly as if holding on for dear life.  
  
"I'm sorry Lily," James whispered back and sighed wistfully.  
  
"Don't be. It's not your fault. There is only one person to blame for this," Lily replied and they all knew who she was referring to.  
  
Upstairs Peter paced his room. He was angry at what Remus had said; angry at Remus period. Peter tired to come up with a reason to excuse his father of the charges that had to be fraudulent, just had to be, or it would unmake him and his entire existence. But while part of him fought desperately to defend his father, the other condemned him dredging up old memories of beatings while his mother had been out or away from the house for significant periods of time. He sat down at his desk and wrote a letter to his father asking if what had happened and what had been implied were true. He never expected what the consequences of this simple letter would be.  
  
He also wrote a letter to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named that said:  
  
Please reconsider. Something has happened involving my father and the Evans girl that I'm sure will give them cause to ask me to leave. It would be best if I were to suggest leaving myself.  
  
He didn't sign it and didn't need to. The Dark Lord would know who it was from. He sent them both with his owl, named Angel for the halo resembling markings on her head. Peter waited impatiently for word back from both of them and fell asleep on his bed sobbing dryly into his pillow.  
  
A/N: So, tell me what you think. Was Lily too... weird here? Or was it okay. This chapter really makes me paranoid. I'll try to get another one up before I go to my dad's this weekend just because I'm not sure when I'll be back home to update again. Frankie 


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